Ginger Shortbread

Pass around a plate of these delicious cookies on New Years Eve!

The recipe called for cake flour, but it can be hard to find. Luckily, all-purpose flour will do in a pinch, if you slightly decrease the amount. So if using cake flour, spoon out 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons into measuring cups, leveling with a knife. If you use all-purpose, just decrease that amount slightly, to 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon.

Combine your flour in a bowl with 1/4 cup raw sugar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and a dash of salt.

In a separate bowl, let 5 tablespoons of vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) soften slightly, then beat with a mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Add one tablespoon of ice water, and stir just until combined.

Turn the mixture out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a 4-inch circle (my dough was very soft, so don't worry if yours is, too). Cover with an additional layer of plastic wrap and let chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.

Remove the plastic, and lay the dough down on a clean sheet of plastic wrap. Cover with two additional layers of plastic wrap, and roll into an 8-inch circle. Remove the top layers of plastic and arrange the dough on the center of a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Remove the final sheet of plastic.

Sprinkle the dough evenly with a tablespoon of raw sugar - the original recipe actually called for turbinado here, but any coarse sugar will do. Lightly score the dough with a knife to yield 16 wedges, without actually cutting through.

Thinly slice 1/4-ounce of crystallized ginger into 16 pieces. (Note: this is a really tiny amount of ginger, so slice very thinly with your knife). Place one ginger slice on each of your 16 wedges, gently pressing to adhere.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes, then cut along your pre-made marks to separate into wedges. Let the shortbread cool completely on a wire rack. Each cookie is 80 calories.

Cost:
ground ginger $4.99