Glazed Ginger Shortbread

Glazed Ginger Shortbread
Adapted from David Lebovitz by Blue Heron Kitchen

David Lebovitz writes that these cookies were inspired by the Ginger Crunch recipe from a cookbook called “The Edmonds Cookery Book”, first published in 1908. Edmonds is a company in New Zealand that produces baking powder. Please check out David's blog (you can link to it under "The Mother Blogs"). You'll want to subscribe.

If you love ginger and butter (or with options to further enhance flaor with cardamom or rose), you’ll adore these. And Ginger Rogers?  Yuz honors, I rest my case:

The glaze calls for Lyle’s (or other brand) golden syrup. Most U.S. markets are growing up and are selling this wonderful syrup from the U.K. If you can’t find it, try some dark corn syrup. If you’re opposed or don’t have any, you can fool around with honey or rice syrup. Agave’s okay, but it’s kind of runny and thin. If you’re committed to Agave, use the darker one.

Use a 13- by 4-inch (34cm x 10cm) rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. If you don’t have this size, use one that renders similar area. You can use an 8-inch (20cm) square cake pan or a 20 x 30 centimeter rectangular pan, but if you do, line the bottom with a wide piece of foil leaving an overhang over the sides of the pan, then smoothing the sides and buttering the inside. Once the bars are finished, you should be able to lift the foil (and the bars) from the pan easily.

If the dough is giving you a hard time and won't come together, dampen your hands and knead the dough until it does. (It doesn’t need to be perfect.) Transfer the dough to the pan and use the heel of your hand to press it evenly into the bottom. Remember, you're the boss.

Ingredients:

Cookie base
4 1/2 ounces (9 tablespoons, 125g) unsalted butter, room temperature [it should be very soft - truc: to hasten this process, cut butter into slices.]
1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g) [I used sugar infused and perfumed with cardamom ... see below*]
1 1/2 cup (210g) unbleached all-purpose flour [I use King Arthur brand]
1 teaspoon baking powder [Rumford brand - aluminum free. Be sure it's fresh.]
1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried ginger [Be sure it's fresh. In the U.S., Penzey's is a good resource.]

Icing
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons, 75g) butter, salted or unsalted [if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt; it’s better with some salt.]
2 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup [available at better markets, markets with “International” aisles (it’s European!) or online at Amazon.com]
3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon ground dried ginger

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC.) Butter a 13-inch rectangular tart pan or another pan (see above).

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand in a large bowl, make the cookie base by creaming the butter with the sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger.

3. Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture until well-combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead it until the dough is relatively smooth. (If the dough is dry, dampen your hands to add a bit of moisture.)

4. Press the dough into the prepared pan and flatten the surface.

5. Bake the dough for 15-20 minutes, until it’s light golden brown.

6. Five to ten minutes before the dough is done, making the icing by heating the 2 1/2 ounces of butter and golden syrup in a small pan, then mix in the sifted (ALWAYS sifted!) powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon ginger, stirring until smooth.

7. When you take the shortbread out of the oven, pour the warm icing over the cookie base. Let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and slice while still slightly warm.

I sliced them in accordance with the pan’s fluting, so with this tart pan, the recipe yielded about two dozen fairly thin cookies. You can slice them thicker if you want to, say, sell them in an independent coffee shop.

 * To make cardamom sugar: use a glass jar and pour about 1/3 of the way up with granulated sugar, add whole green cardamom (about one heaping tablespoon), pour another 1/3 of the way up and add another heaping tablespoon. Close the jar and in a few days, your sugar will be infused! The sugar will ‘keep’ for six months to a year. It’s great in recipes like this one, or sprinkled on top of scones or biscuits. 
For rose sugar: follow directions above, replacing cardamom with edible, dried rose buds. Rose sugar is gorgeous. You'll use it in butter cookies, buttercream, meringue and la vie en..xo 

Cantuccini

My men friends are all wrapped up in watching other men play with balls. At the close of the week, my principal emailed us two green words: "Go Jets!". I assumed he meant the team and not the gang. So, in the spirit of the season, my cheer is: "go balls!".  Truth is, I'm looking forward to baseball season - it's rhubarb time.  So this evening, I'm punting my Cantuccini recipe out.  Besides, you don't need my advice when it comes to melting cheese on things.

Cantuccini

Nick Malgieri – adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

2 c. (9 oz.) all-purpose flour

¾ c. (5 oz.) granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 ½ c. (8 oz) unblanched whole almonds, toasted and cooled (toast at 350º F. degrees until fragrant, cool)

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350º F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and set aside.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to mix thoroughly. Stir in the toasted and fully cooled almonds. (You don't need to chop them!)

Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl, until slightly frothy, then stir them into the flour mixture.  The dough may seem dry at this point, but it will come together as it is kneaded. You can do this by hand, but if you use a mixer, use the paddle attachment.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, folding it over onto itself until it is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.  Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 12” log. Gently press down to flatten them until they are about 2” wide and 1” high. 

First Baking: Bake the logs for about 30 minutes, ot until they are slightly risen and firm to the touch.  Slide the logs, parchment paper and all, off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack.  The logs must be completely cool before you can continue. The longer, the cooler, the cooler, the better they will slice.  The best is to cool them, wrap them and proceed with the second baking the next day. Allow at least one hour to cool.

Second Baking: When the logs have cooled, preheat the oven to 350º F.

Working with a sharp, serrated knife, cut the cooled logs diagonally into 1/4” thick slices.  Place the sliced cookies cut side down on the pans and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the biscotti are golden.  Cool on the pans.

Storing: These biscotti will keep for up to a month (if they last) in an airtight tin or plastic container.