Buttery gingerbread-spiced shortbread fingers with finely minced crystallized ginger, fork-pricked tops and a delicate crumbly finish.
A pressed slab makes these spiced butter cookies easy to portion into fingers. Crystallized ginger is finely chopped into part of the flour before mixing. Score the slab before baking, then cut while warm and let the pieces cool with support beneath them.
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Gingerbread Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 35–40 minutes · One 9 × 13-inch metal pan, cut into 24 fingers
Allow 100 minutes: 20 hands-on, 0 chilling, 40 for all baking trays, 40 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Food processor for mincing crystallized ginger
- Electric mixer and mixing bowl
- 9 × 13-inch metal pan with parchment sling
- Fork for docking
- Bench scraper or sharp knife and cooling rack
- US measures and scale
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Scale ingredients and US equivalents. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time.
Instructions
Build the buttery dough
- Heat to 325°F (165°C) conventional or 300°F (150°C) fan. Beat butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and ground spices until smooth, without extended fluffy creaming. Pulse 1 cup of the measured flour with crystallized ginger until very finely minced, then mix this and the remaining flour into the butter just until combined.
Press and dock
- Line the 9 × 13-inch pan and press dough evenly across the base. Prick all over with a fork, arranging holes in tidy rows. Lightly score into 24 fingers in a 4-by-6 grid without separating. No scheduled chill is needed.
Color the whole surface
- Bake 35–40 minutes until the top is golden and edges slightly deeper. The pan format gives a fairly thin sheet; start checking at 35 minutes.
Cut while warm
- Rest about 5 minutes, lift carefully with parchment and cut along the scored lines while still warm. Leave on a rack with parchment supporting the pieces for about 35 minutes until cold and crumbly. Avoid snapping fingers apart while hot.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Mince ginger with flour
Flour keeps sticky candied ginger from clumping in the processor.
Do not overcream
Excess air can make shortbread puff rather than bake into a dense crumbly finger.
Cut warm, lift cold
Warm scoring limits crumbling, but cold fingers are sturdier to handle.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 1 week | Cool completely, then store airtight in a cool room. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze a wrapped flat dough slab. Thaw covered in the refrigerator, then press evenly into the pan. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Warm undecorated cookies briefly at 300°F for 3–5 minutes if desired; cool before decorating. |
Notes
- This is a buttery shortbread flavored with gingerbread spices and finely minced crystallized ginger, without molasses or egg. Fork holes reduce puffing and mark a classic shortbread finish. Very finely processed ginger distributes the flavor without large chewy chunks. The 9 × 13-inch pan keeps the sheet thin enough for the stated bake.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this contain molasses?
No. It is shortbread flavored with gingerbread spices and crystallized ginger.
Why prick with a fork?
Docking helps release steam and reduces unwanted puffing.
When should I cut the fingers?
Cut after a brief pan rest while still warm, then let the pieces cool fully before moving.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
