These Orange Sandwich Cookies with Orange Ganache are not only cute & can send a message. They’re buttery like a shortbread with a chocolatey ganache with a hint of orange. Change up the letters or shapes for any occasions!
Election is just 3 weeks away! We received our ballots over the weekend. We will be doing some studying and dropping them off in a few days.
I’m sure by now you have heard so much about this election. Maybe almost sick and tired of it? I feel the same, but we can’t tune out right now. This election could be the most important one ever in our lifetime, it’s up to us to decide which direction we want the US to go. You may think “There’re many people voting. My vote doesn’t even matter, why bother?” If you don’t buy a lottery ticket, you will never win. If you don’t participate, your vote will never be counted. If you don’t try, you will never get it.
I know figuring who/what to vote for can be boring and stressful. There’re many helpful information out there to help you decide, like your local newspapers, local NPR station, your party’s website and Vote Save America ballot guide. Take some time and study the materials. It’s painful, but well worth it.
And because of covid-19, many voters will be mailing out their ballots. To prevent overwhelming the post office on Election Day, let’s vote early! Vote early in person, drop off ballot at official ballot box or mail in your ballot early.
To go with the Election theme, I decided to make these orange sandwich cookies with letters and shapes. Not only they’re cute, they’re really tasty too! Perfect for munching around Election Day.
The cookie dough for these cookies is fairly basic. First, combine sugar and orange zest. That will help the orange flavor to come through better. Then, cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract. Last mix in flour and salt. Roll the dough into a round disk and divided into 4 parts. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Once the dough is chilled, roll it out and cut into rounds. Move quickly and keep the rounds chilled in the fridge while working. Cut out your desired letters and shapes. Make sure the cookies are chilled before baking. It will prevent the butter from melting too fast and keep the cookie shape. Bake until the edges and bottom are lightly golden brown.
For the ganache, it’s very easy. Bring the heavy cream to just a boil. Add orange zest. Then pour into chopped chocolate and cubed butter. Stir until everything is melted and smooth. Cool in the fridge for about 20 minutes, so the chocolate can set a bit and become spreadable.
Last, spoon some ganache on the cookies and top with the letter/shape cookies. That’s it. The cookies are a bit like shortbread, and with a mild citrus flavor. There is also extra zest in the ganache, which enhances the orange flavor even more. Chocolate and orange are truly amazing together. These cookies are fun, not too hard to make and great for any occasion. Hope you will give them a try.
In the meantime, do your part and vote!
Orange Sandwich Cookies with Orange Ganache
Ingredients
Orange Cookies:
- 135 grams sugar (2/3 cup)
- 2 tablespoons orange zest (about 2 large oranges)
- 318 grams all-purpose flour (2 2/3 cups)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 184 grams unsalted butter (13 tablespoons)(at room temperature)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)(lightly beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Orange Ganache:
- 100 grams bittersweet chocolate (3½ ounces)(about 60% cacao)(finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 large orange)
Instructions
- In a food processor, add sugar and orange zest. Process until the zest is very fine. If you don’t have a food processor, in a medium bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Mix lightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract. Beat until just blended. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour. Mix until the dough comes together and the flour has disappeared.
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Divided into 4 parts and pat into disks. Wrap each disk in a new plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Keep the oven rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment papers.
- Once the dough is chilled, prepare a clean working surface and lightly dust with flour. Take out 1 part of the dough and roll into 1/8-inch thick. To prevent sticking, move the dough from time to time and dust with more flour if needed. With a 2¼-inch round scallop cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. Gently lift the cookie and place them on a single layer side by side on one of the prepared baking sheets. Chill in the fridge. Collect the leftover scraps, shape into a round disk and keep in the fridge to chill again. Repeat with the other 3 parts of the dough. Make sure the cookies have been chilled in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- Take out 13 cookies and place them on the other prepared baking sheet by spacing ½-inch apart. Bake in the oven until the cookies begin to brown around the edges and the bottom is light golden brown, about 14 – 16 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to counter and let the cookies rest on the sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Now, line another baking sheet with a parchment paper. Take out 13 cookies and place them by spacing ½-inch apart. Use a ¾-inch letter or shape cookie cutter, cut out the centers. Bake in the oven until the cookies begin to brown around the edges and the bottom is light golden brown, about 12 – 14 minutes (less than round cookies). Transfer the baking sheet to counter and let the cookies rest on the sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough, about 18 more cookies. Half for round cookies and half for letter or shape cookies. Bake them separately because of different bake time.
- For the ganache, in medium heatproof bowl, place chopped chocolate and butter.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream just to a boil. Remove from heat. Quickly stir in the orange zest. Pour over the chocolate and butter. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to the fridge until spreadable consistency, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To assemble, spread the ganache onto the flat side of one round cookie, leaving 1/8-inch plain border. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Top with a second cookie with letter or shape, flat side down. Repeat with the remaining cookies and ganache.
Notes
- Roll the dough as fast you can. It’s harder to transfer the cut cookies when the dough gets too warm.
- Chilling the cookies before baking helps to keep the shape better.
- I bought all the cookie cutters from Amazon, the scalloped one, the letters one and the shapes one.
- Put a little more ganache than I did. I would like a bit more ganache next time.
- The whole process takes a while. If you can, make the cookie dough the day before and chill in the fridge.
- For storage, cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Leave a Reply