Melting Moments
Why I Love This Recipe
short butter cookies w/ creamy orange filling
These cookies are MAAAHVELLOUS! Despite their rather plain appearance and diminutive size, they have the delicate shortness of the best shortbread biscuits, yet there is no dry chalkiness that can sometimes accompany this texture. Paired with the creamy orange filling, they are gorgeous little bite-size treats that are difficult to resist
Ingredients You'll Need
Cookies
250g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
55g pure icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
260g plain/all-purpose flour
50g cornflour/corn starch
Filling
60g butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
110g pure icing sugar, sifted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C, and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Use electric beaters to beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract till pale and creamy. Sift together the flour and corn starch in a bowl, then add it to the butter and beat on the lowest possible speed till just combined and a soft dough forms (you may need to give it one or two quick kneads to bring it together).
Lightly flour your hands and roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into small balls and place on the baking tray 5cm (2″) apart. Use a lightly floured fork to gently flatten each ball to about 3cm in diameter and 1cm thick.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes or till cooked through and golden. Cool them on the baking tray (they are extremely delicate and attempting to remove them from the tray before they cool may make them shatter into buttery crumbs), then remove them to a cooling rack and repeat with remaining mixture.
To make the filling: Use electric beaters to beat the butter, vanilla and orange zest in a small bowl till pale and creamy. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat till combined. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in fridge till required. Do not attempt to spread onto cookies that are still warm - the filling will melt away!
To assemble cookies: Spread the base of one cookie with filling, trying to keep it fairly even, then lightly sandwich with an uniced cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.
