12 cookies of Christmas – Ginger, Almond and orange bars

I chose this recipe for my third twelve cookies of Christmas because it contains three ingredients that always remind me of the festive season – nuts, orange and ginger.
They take less than 5 minutes to put together yet they are so rewarding – one bite of these orange scented buttery, ginger and almond studded bars and you’ll be sold. I can’t stop eating them!
Ginger, Almond and orange bars
250g plain flour
225g caster sugar
Zest of one orange
150g chopped crystallised ginger
75g chopped or flaked almonds
One large egg
175g butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 22cm square tin with baking paper.
Place the flour, sugar, orange zest, ginger, almonds and egg in a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon to combine. When you have a smooth dough, press into the lined baking tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Leave to cool on a wire rack before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into bars or squares.