I had some stem ginger left over from Christmas and was wondering what to do with it when I came across this old recipe for shortbread.  It’s a lovely accompaniment for a cup of coffee and will keep for a few days in a tin.  You can make the shortbread by hand but I take the easy way and put it in a food processor – much easier and quicker!

Ingredients

4 balls stem ginger in syrup, dried and chopped into tiny bits

225g plain flour + a little for dusting

225g butter cubed

100g caster sugar

100g semolina

2 tbsp demerara sugar

Method

1. You will need a 23×33 tray bake tin
2. Heat the oven to 160/140 degrees (fan)
3. Measure the flour, caster sugar, butter and semolina into the food processor and whizz for a few minutes until you have a very crumbly mixture
4. Tip onto a floured surface and knead in the ginger pieces
5. Press the dough into the tray, pressing down with the back of a spoon
6. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar
7. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until it is golden and firm to touch
8. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into 30 fingers and place on a wire rack to cool