Ginger Cranberry Shortbread Wedges Recipes

CRANBERRY GINGER DIAMONDS

Steps:

• In medium bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. On low speed, beat in flour and salt until blended. Add crystallized ginger, cranberries and gingerroot; beat just until blended. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch diamond-shaped cookie cutter.
• On cookie sheets, place cutouts 1 inch apart. Sprinkle cookies with sparkling sugar; gently press sugar into dough.
• Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

GINGER SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with foil, extending foil 2 inches on 2 opposite sides of pan.
• In large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour, ground ginger and nutmeg until crumbly. Stir in crystallized ginger. Press dough firmly in pan. Prick surface generously with fork.
• Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until light golden brown and set. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan by lifting foil. To make 24 squares, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows by pressing down with a long knife (do not use sawing motion). Cut each square diagonally in half to make triangles. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate uncovered on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave 30 seconds longer, stirring every 15 seconds, until completely melted. Dip one short, flat edge of each triangular cookie in chocolate; if necessary, shake off any excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper; let stand until chocolate is set before storing between layers of waxed paper in loosely covered container.

GINGER CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice in a large pot and heat over medium heat. Cook and stir occasionally until berries pop, about 20 minutes. Let cool until thickened.

GINGERBREAD JARS WITH CRANBERRY CURD

Steps:

• Make the gingerbread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch cake pan with a little softened butter and line with parchment paper, letting any excess hang over the edges of the pan.
• Place the orange juice and raisins in a measuring cup and set aside to soak. In a mixing bowl add the melted butter, molasses and sour cream, whisking until well combined. Add 1 2/3 cups of flour, the ginger, baking soday, cinnamon, cloves and salt and whisk together until combined. Drain the raisins, then add them to the batter along with the remaining 1 cup of flour and the crystallized ginger. Combine with a silicone spatula, then pour into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool completely before cutting the cake into 1-inch cubes.
• While the cake bakes, make the cranberry curd: Into a saucepan set over medium heat, add the sugar, cranberry juice and salt and whisk until smooth. Once the sugar is dissolved, whisk in the egg yolks, then add the butter. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the cranberry curd thickens and reaches 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and transfer the curd to a bowl to cool.
• To assemble: Place a few pieces of the gingerbread cubes in a small jar, add 2 tablespoons of the cranberry curd on top of the gingerbread and top with whipped cream.

SHORTBREAD WEDGE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper leaving enough overhang around the sides to easily lift shortbread out. (Tip: Parchment is used so you can easily remove the shortbread and not cut it while it's in the pan. I like to use a square of parchment and I cut a 1-inch slit in the center of each side. This helps reduce the amount of creases when lined in the pan.)
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour and cornstarch and beat on low speed for 1 minute as the mixture begins to combine. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for 1-3 minutes or until the dough clumps together. (It will eventually, just keep mixing it.) If you're adding dry add-ins (see above), this is when you'll add them.
• Divide dough in half. If you want to be totally accurate, weigh the halves to make sure they're even. Recipe makes almost 1.5 lbs of plain dough (will weigh more if you added add-ins). Press each half of dough into a prepared cake pan. You want it nice and compact in the pans. Sprinkle with optional coarse sugar. Dock the surface all over with a fork to prevent air bubbles.
• Bake the shortbread for 28-30 minutes or until very lightly browned on top and around the edges.
• Remove from the oven, place pans on a wire rack, and cool shortbread for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the shortbread from the pans by picking it up with the parchment paper on the sides. Cut each into 8 large, 12 medium, or 16 small wedges. You want to make sure you cut the shortbread while it's still warm. Enjoy warm or cool shortbread completely on wire racks.
• Cover and store shortbread at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you added a topping such as glaze, icing, buttercream, or melted chocolate, refrigerate after 2 days.

CANDIED GINGER SHORTBREAD WEDGES

Steps:

• Prepare basic shortbread, sifting ground ginger and white pepper with the flour and salt. Add 1/2 cup crystallized ginger to creamed butter mixture before adding flour mixture. At the end of step 2, sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger and sanding sugar. Bake until firm and just starting to color, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into wedges. Cookies will keep, in an airtight container, at room temperature for 1 week.

GINGER SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Butter an 8 1/2-inch cake or springform pan; set aside. Sift together flour and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Cream until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, about 2 minutes more. Add vanilla, if using. Add flour mixture, and combine on low speed, scraping with spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
• Pat dough into prepared pan. If rolling out dough to cut into shapes, form into a flat disk; wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Sift 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground cloves, and a pinch of pepper with flour and salt. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out gingerbread men using a 3-inch cutter; sprinkle with crystal sugar; chill.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until firm, about 30 minutes.