If you’re tired of the same old shortbread cookie year after year, take a look at Mairlyn Smith’s rendition made with chocolate and ginger!

Chocolate and ginger shortbread

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted

¼ cup corn starch, sifted

1/8 tsp salt

½ cup chopped dark chocolate, divided

¼ cup finely chopped candied ginger

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup icing sugar

Method:

1)    In medium bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, salt, ¼ cup dark chocolate pieces or chips, and ginger.

2)    In separate bowl, using electric mixer on low then medium speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

3)    Using wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just moistened. (I used my standing mixer on low – once a rebel always a rebel!)

4)    Gently pat dough into block about 1 ½ inches high and 2 ½ inches wide. Cover with parchment paper and refrigerate until very firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

5)    Line two rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure the rack is in the centre of the oven and preheat to 325°F (160°C).

6)    Unwrap dough. Cut off 3/8 to ½ inch slices. I prefer the thinner version, if you cut it ½ inch, the baking time will be longer.

7)    Place slices of cookie dough on prepared baking sheets. Bake in oven until edges of cookies are golden brown, about 18 minutes.

8)    Remove and let cookies sit 5 minutes on the cookie sheet on a cooling rack.

9)    Carefully transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

10)    Melt remaining ¼ cup chocolate in small heatproof bowl on medium-low power in microwave, about 1 – 2 minutes for 20 second increments. When it is just starting to melt, stir until it is totally melted.  NOTE: you can ruin this easily, so slowly does it!

11)     Stir until smooth. Then drizzle line of chocolate along top of each cooled cookie.

Courtesy Mairlyn Smith, www.mairlynsmith.com