1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour 3 tablespoons of sugar 1 teaspoon of baking powder 1 teaspoon of ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1 stick of cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces TOPPING: 3/4 stick of unsalted butter 1 tablespoon of golden syrup 1 cup of confectioners' sugar 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Preheat oven to 350ºF. and grease a 13 x 9 inch metal baking pan. Make shortbread base: sift together dry ingredients and blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press evenly into bottom of pan (base will be thin). Bake in middle of oven until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
Make topping just before shortbread is done: melt butter in a small saucepan and whisk in remaining ingredients until smooth. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring 30 seconds. Pour topping: remove shortbread from oven and pour topping over, tilting pan to cover shortbread evenly. Cool in pan on a rack, then cut into small rectangles. Yields: about 5 dozen.
