Active Time

　　15 minutes

　　Total Time

　　1 3/4 hours

　　"This was a Christmas teatime favorite when I cooked at castles in Scotland years ago," says Doon Fergusson-Howlett of Dublin, Ireland."My sister serves these as petits fours, and they are always highly praised."

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 5 dozen

　　

For shortbread base:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

　　3 tablespoons granulated sugar

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　1 teaspoon ground ginger

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

　　

For topping:

3/4 stick unsalted butter

　　1 tablespoon Lyle's Golden Syrup (British cane sugar syrup)

　　1 cup confectioners sugar

　　1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

　　1/2 teaspoon vanilla

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan.

　　

Make shortbread base:

Step 2

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:

Step 3

Melt butter in a small saucepan and whisk in remaining ingredients until smooth. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring, 30 seconds.

　　

Pour topping:

Step 4

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 (8 rows lengthwise and 8 crosswise).