Rosemary and Orange Curd Sandwich Cookies
These bad boys are another recent creation. I’m a big believer in taking full advantage of seasonal flavors in your cooking and baking- and citrus is a HUGELY underrated winter flavor that takes centerstage in these cookies in the form of a punchy, slightly creamy orange curd. Paired with shortbread cookies flavored with just enough rosemary for a pleasant surprise without being herby or savory, this recipe takes the classic sandwich cookie and turns it into something truly unique. You can use whatever shape cookie cutter you like- I went with little turkeys since thanksgiving is right around the corner. These are great for hosting, enjoying on your own, or boxing up to give as gifts during the holiday season.
Ingredients
Cookies:
190g flour
60g sugar
140g cold unsalted butter
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
Pinch of salt
Orange Curd:
100ml fresh squeezed orange juice
60g granulated sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
30g salted butter (or unsalted + a pinch of salt)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water
1 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk (optional)
Directions
Cream together your butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor
Add your flour, rosemary, and salt, and pulse until the whole thing is a sandy texture
Tip your sandy dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead with your hands until it begins to come together. This will take a several minutes.
Form it into a tight disk, plastic wrap it, and stow it in the refrigerator for 35-45 minutes. In the meantime, make your orange curd.
In a small saucepan, combine your orange juice and zest, lemon juice, and butter over medium heat until just boiling.
In a small dish, combine your cornstarch and water to make a thickening agent, and quickly stir it into the bubbling orange juice mixture. It should thicken rapidly.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the condensed milk. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool completely, transferring to the refrigerator when safe.
While the curd cools, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400F
Remove your dough from the fridge and roll it out with a floured rolling pin until it’s about 1/8 of an inch thick (a little thicker than a quarter). Use whatever shape cookie cutter you like to gently cut out as many shapes as possible. Remove them one at a time by sliding a fork underneath them and transfer them to your baking sheet.
Re-roll your dough as many times as necessary to get the desired number of cookies- you can usually get 20-26 out of this recipe. Remember that these are sandwich cookies so if you get 24 of them out of the dough, you’ll only have 12 individual cookies at the end.
Poke each one a few times with a fork and sprinkle them with a pinch of granulated sugar before baking them on the middle rack for 8-10 minutes.
Transfer the cookies to a rack and allow them to cool completely.
Take your cooled orange curd from the refrigerator and transfer it to a piping or ziploc bag and cut the tip. Arrange half your cookies in front of you and carefully pipe a thick layer of the orange curd over the top, avoiding a 1/4” radius around the edge.
Top each curd-covered cookie with another cookie and press down very gently.
These can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or enjoyed fresh :)
