Orange Shortbread Cookies

My friend is working on opening a bakery.  We have become the test tasting kitchen.  We have decided that her chocolate cake is the best chocolate cake ever…recipe not to be disclosed.  She brought over some chocolate ice cream the other night to taste.  It was like frozen pudding.  I really liked it.  We discussed putting that ice cream between two orange cookies.  So making shortbread orange cookies was to be in my future.  I could have spent some time really rolling out the cookies into a perfect round shape but I went with the total homemade look.  They are really good.

3 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

zest of 3 juice oranges

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

(1/2 cup sugar and zest of 2 more oranges mixed together for rolling)

In an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until combined.  Add the vanilla and zest of the oranges.  In a separate bowl mix together the flour and salt.  I used a whisk to mix it up.  Add this to the butter/sugar mixture.  The mixture should be dense when it is thoroughly mixed together.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Take the mixture and wrap in saran wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Once that is done take it out and divide the mixture into 2.  Roll each into a long log that is about 2" in diameter.  Then roll that log over the orange/sugar mixture so that it is coated. I used a long platter to do this so I didn't lose any of the zest mixture. 

Cut each piece into 1/4" slices.  Then dip those slices into what is left of the sugar/orange zest so they each are covered with that.  Bake the cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake about 12/15 minutes or until the edges are just browned.

Yum.