Orange Nutella Sandwich Cookies

        My daughter and I love Nutella! We actually tasted the chocolate hazelnut 

               spread for the first time while we were in Europe. When I found

it on the grocery store shelves here in the US, I was

so excited for all of the opportunities to  experiment

with different recipes. This recipe is from The Hungry Rabbit NYC:

Orange-Nutella Sandwich Cookies

yields: 15-18 cookies

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons orange zest, freshly grated
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups (7-1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
Nutella Buttercream, recipe to follow

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, using finger tips, combine zest with 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in reserved zest-sugar mixture. Add egg yolks and vanilla, beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with orange juice, and beat to combine.

3. Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out disk to 1/8-inch thick using a lightly floured rolling pin. Using a lightly floured 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough and place about 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes. Transfer parchment paper and cookies to rack to cool completely.

6. Using an offset spatula, spread 1 tablespoon of buttercream onto flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping flat sides down. Once filled, cookies can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutella Buttercream

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Nutella
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and Nutella on medium-high until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium-low, add vanilla, cream, salt and confectioners’ sugar to the mixer bowl and beat until the powdered sugar is incorporated.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until the buttercream is smooth, about 1 minute.