Orange Cream Stars

So I am completely crazy!! Somehow I got myself signed up for a half marathon and The Ragnar for February and April. To tell you the truth I am super excited about it, but just a little nerves. The Ragnar race is February 24th, so it will be my first race out of the two. It's like a relay race, if you don't know what I'm talking about. You have 12 people on a team and collectively you run almost 200 miles. I'm runner #3 out of the 12 of us, and I have three separate legs in the race. These are my legs, 1st: 7.1 miles, 2nd: 6.3 miles, and my last leg is 8.6 miles, for a collective total of 21.9 miles in less then 2 days. Yeah, now you know why I say I'm completely crazy. But I started training 2 weeks ago, so I feel confident that hopefully it won't completely kill me to run this. And I have 5 to 8 hours between each leg, so we'll see how I do. The half marathon I'm looking into is April 14 or 15, so we'll see how excited I am to keep training for that after my race in February {Ugh, I swear I'm a little bit of a masochist}.

Ok, anyways!! Onto these Amazing cookies!! No, I totally meant to capitalize the "A" in amazing. These cookies are seriously that good. I have this theory that if the batter, of whatever I'm making, doesn't taste good, then it's not going to turn out. So whenever I bake I always test out the batter before putting whatever it is in the oven. Ok, total confection. I was literally sucking the batter out of my pastry bag as I was forming the cookies on the baking sheet. I was like, "Pipe one cookie, and now a little bit for me. Pipe two cookies, and another taste for me." By the time I finally got these freaking things in the oven, I probably ate 1/4 of the dough. No really, don't judge me until you try them. I am never like that why I'm cooking. I always try to keep things clean, and, well, I couldn't control myself ok!! They are that good. And then you have to add the filling which just takes these cookies over the top, that is if your cookies make it that far :) Seriously!! You gotta try this recipe!!


For the Cookies
     1/2 lb. (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
     3 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
     1 cup granulated sugar
     1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
     1 large egg yolk
     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
     12 oz (2 2/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Orange Cream Filling
     4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
     1/2 cup confectioners' sugar: more for dusting
     1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
     2 teaspoon fresh orange juice

Position racks in the center and upper third of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment. Dab a few drops of water between the pan and the paper to help keep the paper on the baking sheet as you pipe the cookies.

Make the Cookies

In a large bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar, orange zest, egg yolk, and vanilla.

Mix with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Gradually mix in the flour.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip about two-thirds of the way full. Twist the opening closed and squeeze out generous 1 1/2-inch stars, spacing them about 1 1/2-inches apart on the prepared sheets. To get the best shapes, hold the bag straight up and down with the edge of the tip just barely touching the baking sheet. Squeeze the bag firmly until the shape is as wide as you like. Stop squeezing and push the tip down slightly. Give the tip a slight twist as you pull it up and away.

Bake the cookies until the edges just begin to brown, about 20 minutes, rotating them as needed for even browning. Set the baking sheets on racks until the cookies are cool enough to remove with a spatula without distorting their shape.

Assemble the Sandwiches

Beat the butter, sugar, orange zest, and orange juice until smooth, about 5 minutes. Line half of the cookies upside down on a piece of parchment. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip and fill it with the orange cream. Pipe about 1/2 teaspoon filling onto each cookie base. Set another cookie right side up, on top.

Press down lightly to adhere. Refrigerate until set. Dust the cookies lightly with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Printable Recipe

Recipe from The Best of Fine Cooking Holiday Baking