Ginger Lime Shortbread, Two Ways

These sweet and spicy shortbread cookies are infused with two kinds of ginger – freshly grated and ground – and coated with a tangy lime glaze. (For another delicious glazed shortbread, see my recipe for chocolate rosewater cookies.) For extra flavor, fans of chocolate can add a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dough and/or serve these as sandwich cookies with a scoop of chocolate ice cream in the middle.

Ginger Lime Shortbread

1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated

Zest of 1 lime (optional)

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Lime Glaze

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Juice from 1 lime

For chocolate variation: Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder along with the flour

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, ground ginger, freshly grated ginger, and lime zest, if using. Stir in salt and flour until fully incorporated. If making the chocolate version, add cocoa powder here.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough until 1/8-1/4 inch thick, and shape using approximately 2-inch round cookie cutter. If dough is sticky, sprinkle a little flour over the surface before rolling, or refrigerate for at least 15-20 minutes, until cool enough to work with. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake for around 11-13 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for around a minute, then transfer to cooling rack.
4. Prepare the glaze: whisk together lime juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Dip the surface of each cookie in the glaze, then let try on a plate or tray. Once glaze has hardened, store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Yields 20-21 cookies