Citrus Sandwich Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350˚. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture until combined, then slowly add the milk and beat until just combined.
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch open star tip. Pipe 1 3/4-inch logs about 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. (You will have leftover dough.)
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden around the edges, 18 to 24 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then remove the cookies to racks to cool completely.
• Pipe the remaining dough onto one of the used parchment-lined baking sheets and bake only 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pan, then remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
• Sandwich a thin layer of lemon curd between the cookies (1/2 teaspoon each). Microwave the candy melts and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Dip the cookies partway in the candy melts, letting the excess drip off. Return to the racks and top with nonpareils. Let set, about 1 hour.

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sugar, eggs, and lemon zest and process until mixture resembles wet sand.
• Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface; knead several times until dough comes together. Divide into 3 portions; flatten each into a disk. Roll each disk to an 1/8-inch thickness between sheets of parchment. Stack dough (still in parchment) on a baking sheet; refrigerate 20 minutes. (To store, wrap in plastic and freeze on sheet, up to 2 weeks. Thaw until pliable before using.)
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in middle and lower thirds. Working with 1 dough sheet at a time, peel off parchment (save for baking). With lightly floured cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and arrange, 1 inch apart, on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets (reroll scraps, if desired). Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Bake until cookies are set but still pale, 7 to 9 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Using a spoon, frost cookies with icing; decorate with sugar, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add flour (dough will still be stiff); finish mixing with a wooden spoon.
• Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour (and up to 3 days).
• Unwrap dough; place on a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough about 1/8 inch thick (if dough cracks, let it warm up slightly).
• Cut out cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round cutter (reroll scraps once, chilling of too soft). Place 1 inch apart on two baking sheets; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until barely beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Form sandwiches: Place about 1 teaspoon Creamy Lemon Filling between two cookies, sugared sides facing out; squeeze gently.

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in extract. Combine flour and cornstarch; beat into creamed mixture. Divide into two balls; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour., On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into 2-in. rounds. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool., For filling, in a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in lemon juice and zest. Spread over the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.

Steps:

• Food Processor Method Process the lemon zest with the sugar and salt until the zest is very fine. Cut the butter into several pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy, Add the egg and vanilla and process until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour and pulse in just until incorporated. The mixture will hold together if pinched.
• Electric Mixer Method For the best texture use superfine granulated sugar. Soften the butter and chop the lemon zest until very fine. In a mixing bowl cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the lemon zest, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until blended. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. On low speed, gradually add it to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated and the dough just begins to come away from the sides of the bowl.
• For Both Methods Scrape the mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and use the wrap to press down on the dough, kneading it until it is smooth. Divide the dough into four pieces, wrap each one with plastic wrap, and press to form flat discs. Refrigerate for 2 hours up to 2 days placed in a zip-seal bag, to firm and give the dough a chance to absorb the moisture evenly to make rolling easier.
• Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and set it on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the dough and cover it with plastic wrap. (I like to use Wondra® flour for dusting.) Allow the dough to soften for about 10 minutes or until supple enough to roll. Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick, moving it from time to time and adding more flour if necessary to keep it from sticking.
• Cut out 2-1/4 inch cookies. preferably using a scalloped cutter. Use a 3/4 inch round cutter or pastry tube to cut out the centers of half of them. (If using a plastic cutter, or parchment-lined cookied sheet, it's best to do this after placing the cookies on the cookie sheet.) Set the cookies, about 1/2 inch apart, on the cookie sheets. Knead together the scraps and reroll them, chilling them first if necessary.
• Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes or just until they begin to brown lightly. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
• Use a small offset spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to cooling racks. When cool, spread the bottom sides of the cookie halves without the cutouts with 1 teaspoon of lemon buttercream or your favorite jam or jelly, and set the second set of cookies with the cutouts on top, bottom side down to create the sandwiches.
• Lemon Neoclassic Buttercream Makes: 1 cup/about 8 ounces 2 large egg yolks 1/4 cup superfine sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened-65 to 75°F 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely chopped, loosely packed 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• In a medium bowl, with a handheld mixer, beat the yolks on high speed until light in color.
• Have ready a 1-cup heatproof glass measure, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small saucepan, preferably nonstick, using a silicone spatula, stir together the sugar and corn syrup until all the sugar is moistened. Heat over medium-high, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to bubble around the edges. Stop stirring completely and continue cooking for a few minutes until the syrup comes to a rolling boil. (The entire surface will be covered with large bubbles.) Immediately transfer the syrup to the glass measure to stop the cooking.
• Beat the syrup into the yolks in a steady stream. Don't allow the syrup to fall on the beaters or they will spin it onto the sides of the bowl. Continue beating on high speed for 5 minutes. Allow it to cool completely. To speed cooling, place the buttercream in an ice water bath or the refrigerator, stirring occasionally. When the outside of the bowl feels cool, on high speed, beat in the butter by the tablespoon. The buttercream will not thicken until almost all of the butter has been added. On low speed, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Raise the speed to high and beat until smooth and creamy. It may separate at first but come together on beating.
• Place the buttercream in an airtight bowl. Use it at once or set it aside for up to 4 hours. If keeping it longer than 4 hours, refrigerate it. Bring it to room temperature and rebeat to restore the texture.

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• For the citrus cookies: Combine the sugar and lemon and orange zests in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the zests are rubbed into the sugar and the mixture is fragrant, light yellow and looks like wet sand. Add the butter, oil, baking powder, salt and vanilla and mix on low to combine. Raise the speed to medium and cream until lightened and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium speed for a few seconds. Add the flour all at once and blend on low speed until no streaks of flour remains. The mixture will look dry but will come together. Use your spatula to give the dough a few turns in the bowl to incorporate any remaining flour.
• Take about half of the dough and place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. Roll the dough out until it is just under 1/4-inch thick. Use a 1 1/2-inch round cutter to cut out as many circles as possible, placing 6 rows of 4 cookies per row on a prepared sheet pan (24 per sheet). Bake the first sheet on the middle rack of the oven until evenly golden on the edges and top, 12 to 14 minutes.
• While the first tray bakes, reroll any scraps and roll out the second half of the dough to fill the second prepared pan with 24 cookies. Bake the second sheet of cookies after you take the first sheet out. Allow the cookies to cool on the trays 1 hour before filling; they will crisp as they cool.
• For the orange cream filling: Combine the white chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring well after each interval, until melted, about 45 seconds. (It's okay if the mixture separates; it will come together after it's melted and stirred.)
• Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the orange zest in a separate medium bowl and use a rubber spatula to mix and spread the butter until it is smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix until smooth.
• Place the filling in a disposable pastry bag or sandwich bag and snip off a 1/4-inch opening. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of the filling onto the bottoms of 24 cookies. Top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Serve immediately or allow to rest for a few hours so that the filling can set up. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.