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Winning recipes: A spicy ginger shortbread for Valentine's Day

These heart-shaped cookies offer something just slightly different.
 
Spicy Ginger Shortbread Cookies. Photo by Lorraine Fina Stevenski, Times correspondent
Spicy Ginger Shortbread Cookies. Photo by Lorraine Fina Stevenski, Times correspondent
Published Feb. 4, 2019

Here is an Asian-inspired shortbread cookie nicely spiced with ginger, cinnamon and coriander. And for color, a pinch of turmeric.

Make this cookie even more spicy with a pinch of white pepper if you like. Don't forget to sprinkle with equal parts cinnamon and sugar before and after baking for extra crunch. A dollop of strawberry jam will complement the flavors of this cookie.

I love this cookie with spicy ginger and camomile herbal tea sweetened with Manuka honey at bedtime for a relaxing night's sleep.

These would be a sweet treat for Valentine's Day, something a little out of the ordinary but still made swoonworthy with heart-shaped cookie cutters and lots of flavor.

A couple of notes: This dough must be cold while rolling, so make sure to refrigerate it before getting to work cutting out your shapes. Also, use a floured surface and rolling pin and a small offset spatula to move the cookies from the surface to the cookie sheet.

EASY

Spicy Ginger Shortbread Cookies

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

⅔ cup finely granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

1 tablespoon heavy cream, or more if needed

Cinnamon

Granulated sugar

To the bowl of a food processor, add the first six ingredients. Pulse just a few times to mix. Add the butter pieces, sugar and vanilla and lemon extracts. Pulse a few times or just until the mixture holds together.

Add the cream; pulse just until the mixture holds together and forms a ball around the blade. Add more cream if the mixture is too dry. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth ball. Cut the ball into two and flatten each portion into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour or preferably overnight. The spices will meld and mature overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

Remove the two dough discs from the refrigerator. Sprinkle a surface lightly with flour. Roll out each dough disc to ¼-inch thickness. Use a 2 ½- to 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Place 8 hearts on each cookie sheet. Mix equal parts cinnamon and sugar together. Sprinkle cookies with mixture.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or just until lightly golden brown. Sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar after baking. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Cool completely before storage.

Makes 24.

Source: Lorraine Fina Stevenski