Ginger-Studded Brown Sugar Shortbread

Look what I found while taking a walk yesterday!....................
 yeah, sure..............maybe in my dreams! But then again, I guess cookies along the way would defeat the purpose of taking a brisk walk on a cool, crisp autumn day, wouldn't it? Oh well a girl can imagine, right?

Seriously, these Ginger-Studded Brown Sugar Shortbread cookies are a fun spin on the traditional shortbread variety. I had a bit of crystalized ginger left over from my Sour Cream Coffee Cake w/ Ginger-Toffee Streusel (Monday's post). I decided to make my tried-and-true shortbread with a fall-ish twist; I simply used brown sugar instead of white, added candied ginger (finely chopped) and other fall spices, then finished them off with a sprinkle of crunchy raw (turbinado or Demerara) sugar instead of white. They turned out quite delicious and the house smelled amazing as they baked!

Oh, and speaking of walks, we took a lovely hike on Sunday at our local lake. There were no cookies strewn on the path, but what we saw was even more spectacular. I have to share a few of Scott's pics with you - God has surely blessed us with an incredibly beautiful world to pass through!

"Come and see what God has done, how awesome His works in man's behalf!"

Psalm 66:5

Ginger-Studded Brown Sugar Shortbread

¾ cup butter, softened
¼ cup shortening, softened
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped crystalized ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
turbinado or raw sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter, shortening and sugars until fluffy.

3. Add flour, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and salt and mix until blended. Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap*, wrap well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out on a well floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes and place on an prepared sheet pans. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.

5. Bake at 350˚F for 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden. Remove from pan and let cool on paper towels or newspaper. Gather scraps of dough into ball and reroll and proceed with cutting and baking. Store in airtight container or freeze.

*If I'm feeling lazy or in a pinch for time (quite often) I just divide this dough in half, press it into two 9 inch cake pans, sprinkle with sugar and bake until golden brown. Let it cool for just a minute or two, then flip out of the pan and cut with a sharp knife into wedges. These make a delicious dessert with a scoop of ice cream!

PRINTABLE RECIPE