Orange Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

It’s 2021, it’s 70 degrees in February, and I’m seriously just ready for it to be summer already. I’m ready for so many things to end already… school (I graduate in around 100 days!), the cold weather, and especially daylight saving’s–it makes it so hard to take photos when the sun goes down so early in the day.

My dad bought a huge box of 25+ oranges from Costco, and we’re struggling to finish them off before they go bad! I love oranges, but I’m seriously doubting if our family of three can successfully eat the whole box. Anyways, with summer on my mind and oranges for almost every meal of the day, I thought it would be only fitting to make an easy dessert recipe for the blog! These orange sandwich cookies are feature an orange shortbread dough with a bit of orange zest and an orange buttercream frosting. They’re not so overpowering, with just the right amount of citrus to be refreshingly sweet and satisfying. They’d be perfect alongside a nice cup of tea!

And how fun is it that you can see the flecks of orange in the cookies??🤗

How to make orange shortbread cookie sandwiches

• Making shortbread is probably one of the easiest cookies to make; you essentially only need flour, butter, and sugar!
• For the orange flavoring, you’ll need the zest of one whole orange + about 2 tbsp of orange juice (approx. the juice of half of the fruit)
• 3 cups of flour seems like a lot, and the dough will be extremely crumbly and seem like it won’t come together! This is why chilling the dough for 30 minutes is crucial to make it easier to work with… don’t skip this step!
• Roll out the dough and cut circles that are approximately 3 inches in diameter–I was able to get about 32 cookies out of this recipe
• The filling is just a standard buttercream recipe, with the addition of 2 tbsp orange juice (so you’d use the other half of the orange)
• Using a knife / offset spatula, spread the filling on one cookie and place another cookie on top, pressing gently so that the frosting peeks out from the edges.

It’s that easy!

I hope y’all have had a great start to the new year so far… I know I said I’m excited for things to end, but in a good way! I’ve got so many things to look forwards to for this year, and with the relative success of the covid vaccine, hopefully “normal” life will resume. I really hope I can go back to China to visit relatives and have a smooth start to my freshman year of college, and I’m honestly really optimistic that it’ll happen! Fingers crossed.

What are some things you’re looking forwards to for this year??

As usual, if you make this recipe, make sure to tag me @mysouthernsweettooth on Instagram! Happy baking :)

Orange Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches

 

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Not only do these flaky, buttery cookie sandwiches require minimal ingredients, they're also so easy to make! I love how they've got just the right amount of citrus flavor, enough to be simultaneously sweet and refreshing.

Author: Ashley | My Southern Sweet Tooth

Serves: 16 cookies

Ingredients

The cookie

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt

The filling

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• ½ tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar and mix until just incorporated. Add orange zest, vanilla, and orange juice. Add flour and salt, mixing on low speed until the dough begins to form (it will be crumbly). Dump onto a flat surface, shape into a disk, cover with cling wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the rough out until it's about ¼ to ½ inch thick, and cut out each cookie with a 3 inch diameter cookie cutter (I used a shot glass, lol). Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, using an electric whisk, cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add orange juice and vanilla, and then whisk for an additional minute.
4. After cookies are cool, begin to assemble: using an offset spatula, spread some of the frosting onto one of the shortbread cookies. Place another cookie on top, and press gently to allow the frosting to peek out from the sides. Enjoy!

3.5.3229