I discovered this moreish gingery treat in Australia. I spent weeks trying to perfect a recipe on my return to Scotland, to no avail. I was eventually put out of my misery when Gillian’s sister-in-law, Yvonne, visited with a batch of ginger crunch tasting just like the Australian treat I had been trying to recreate. Luckily, Yvonne was happy to share her recipe, which is now a staple café sweet treat – thanks, Yvonne!
Makes: 16–20 bars
Ingredients
- 280g plain flour
- 125g caster sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 180g cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
For the ginger topping
- 180g unsalted butter
- 100g golden syrup
- 375g icing sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line the base of the baking tin with greaseproof (wax) paper and butter the sides.
To make the shortbread base, place the flour, sugar, baking powder and ginger in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively, mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and rub in the butter by hand.
Press the mixture firmly into the prepared tin, levelling it out with a spatula. Bake for 18 minutes, until the shortbread is golden brown. Remove the tin and set aside to cool.
For the topping, place the butter and syrup in a pan and melt on a very low heat (or in a microwave). Sift the icing sugar and ground ginger into the melted butter and syrup mix. Beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer until it is thick and fudgy looking.
Pour the topping over the shortbread and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Allow to set before cutting into bars.
Recipe taken from Three Sisters Bake by Gillian Reith, Linsey Reith and Nichola Reith
Nichola Reith and sisters Gillian and Linsey Reith are a trio of self-confessed food fanatics with a strong catering pedigree and chef-training behind them. As the daughters of a home economics teacher and granddaughters of a sweetie shop owner, they have risen through the ranks at some of Glasgow’s most coveted eateries. The girls were inspired by their global travels and love of good homemade food to open Three Sisters Bake, a café and craft boutique near Glasgow. The café serves a range of wholesome, high-quality, fresh, colourful homemade foods in a relaxed rural neighbourhood setting. It has been nominated for several awards.
Nichola is a trained pastry chef and launched her own wedding cake business, which eventually evolved into Three Sisters Bake. She continues to run this business alongside the café.
You can purchase Three Sisters Bake at cooked.com.
Published by Hardie Grant Books.
Related articles:
Chocolate Fondant Puddings
Fig, Plum and Hazelnut Muffins
Passionfruit Custard Slice
