Orange Buttercream Filled Shortbread Cookies

We made these for the first time for Christmas this year, and this has become one of our favorite little treats.  People can't believe that they are homemade and always ask us which bakery we bought them.

For the Cookies

Ingrdients:

• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. If using vanilla bean, scrape seeds from pod. Discard pod.
• In a large bowl stir together flour and granulated sugar. Using a pastry blender or large fork, cut in butter and the remaining vanilla seeds or extract until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Knead until smooth. Form into a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a fluted biscuit cutter or your favorite cookie cutter cut dough out into an even number of cookies. Place cut cookies 1 inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheet.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.

For the Orange Buttercream Filling

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Instructions:

• In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.\
• Add half of the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk, the vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract), and orange peel. Beat until smooth.
• Beat in the remaining powdered sugar and enough additional milk to make frosting of piping consistency.
• When cookies are completely cooled, transfer Orange Buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a small closed-star tip. Pipe frosting on bottoms of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, bottom sides down.
• Store cookies unfilled, and assemble when ready to serve or share for best results.