Ginger Shortbread

I've been playing around with the basic shortbread recipe, adding new things. this was my latest attempt and is definitely my favourite so far! The ginger gives a real zing. I guess if it's too gingery for you, you could reduce the amount and add a little water if necessary to bind the dough. The salt in the butter really brings out the flavour. If using unsalted butter, add a very small pinch of salt when mixing. Top tip for root ginger: buy a load in one go, peel it (using a teaspoon is the easiest and least wasteful method). Blitz it up in a blender until you have a paste and freeze in a ice-cube tray or small parcels of clingfilm. Then, whenever you need minced ginger in a recipe, take one out of the freezer and pop it straight into the sauce (or in the case of this recipe, defrost it before use).

• Ready In: 22 mins
• Yields: 12 cookies

Ingredients

• 50  g caster sugar
• 100  g salted butter, room temperature
• 150  g plain flour
• 1  tablespoon  minced root ginger

Directions

1. Put the sugar, butter and flour in a processor and blitz until it forms a breadcrumb-like consistency. Be careful not to overwork it.
2. Mix in the minced ginger to form a dough. If necessary, add a tiny splash of water to bring it together. It depends on how much liquid you have in the ginger.
3. Knead a couple of times on a very lightly floured surface then roll out to about 1cm thick and cut into whatever shape you want. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 300°F.
5. Put the dough in the oven and cook until golden, turning occasionally if necessary to ensure even baking (approx 20 minutes).
6. Turn out onto a cooling rack for ten minutes before eating.