Orange Ginger Shortbread

My father loves shortbread. It's uncanny, actually, his love of shortbread. He can't get enough of it. I was never a huge fan, mostly because the majority of the shortbread I tasted was crunchy or dry, and not at all how I pictured it in my head. My mother's side of the family is intensely Italian, and bakes as such. Shortbread is practically unheard of around the holidays, as it is replaced by much more important items like biscotti or florentines.
One day, I believe one particularly hot day in August, my Dad asked me to bake him some shortbread. You see, and the more I developed an interest in baking, the more he would ask me to make things for him: corn bread or caramels, biscuits or cookies--testing my abilities as a young chef. When he asked me to make him shortbread, I was somewhat at a loss. Why in the world would he want shortbread when our cookbook was chalk full of other brilliant cookies and desserts?

But just to make him happy, I dug out a recipe and tried it out.

And he has never left me alone since then.

Orange Ginger Shortbread

I truly enjoy this recipe. It's hassle free, and typically only requires one bowl (which is awesome because I hate washing dishes). Not to mention its amazing, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Let me know what you all think!

List of Ingredients

Shortbread
1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Topping
3 tbsp candied ginger
1 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp orange zest

(If you'd like you can add some blanched almonds--It's quite lovely)




1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.

3. Add in the flour, salt, confectioner's sugar, ground ginger and orange juice. Don't over mix, you just want the dough to stick together, so you can form it into a ball.

4. Chop the candied ginger and mix with the orange juice and zest in a small bowl. Set aside.

5. Grease a square baking dish and gently press the prepared shortbread dough into the pan. Prick it with a fork, and score cutting lines with a sharp knife. Sprinkle the top evenly with candied ginger mixture.

6. Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.



Enjoy!!