My next-door neighbor has a hugh tangerine tree filled with tangerines ready to be picked.

Thinking about desserts that would work well with the sweet flavor of tangerines, I knew the elegance that a cream pastry filling flavored with the tangerines would be a suited match. Using my Lemon Pastry Cream Filled Cookies recipe I adjusted the flavor and created these wonderful light citrus cookies.

Many times after a large savory meal a little sweet treat that is not heavy is desired. These cookies fit the bill. They are light in citrus flavor, melt in your mouth delicious and the perfect ending to a meal.

What is Pastry Cream?

Pastry cream, also know as Creme Patisserie, is cooked custard that is a standard component in many pastry bakes. It is a rich and creamy custard that is made with simple staple ingredients commonly found in your kitchen.

This delightful custard is made with the use of milk, cream, eggs, sugar and flour cooked over low heat and fast whisking. An endless variety of flavored fillings can be made for pastries and desserts with a Creme Patisserie.

Orange Pastry Cream Filled Cookies

Print Recipe

Light citrus cookie filled with creamy smooth pastry cream

Equipment

• Food Processor
• 2 medium size saucepans
• medium size glass mixing bowl

Ingredients

Orange Pastry Cream:

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 peel from 3 oranges
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cookie Dough :

• 1 3/4 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
• 3/4 cup Powdered sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• 2 Zest from 2 oranges
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 Tablespoons Cold butter cubed

Topping:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Orange Pastry Cream Filling:

• In your first medium size sauceoan our in milk, heavy cream, and orange rhine from 3 oranges. Heat the milk until it is hot, but not boiling…around 120 degrees
• In the second medium size sauce pan, whisk the 2 egg yolks and the sugar together. Add the flour and the vanilla while contining to whisk the mixture until it is smooth.
  
• Check the temperature of the milk mixture. It needs to cool downfrom being very hot to warm. When it is warm ( around 108-110 degrees)it will be cool enough touse
• Place your saucepan with the egg yolks onto the stove and turn the heat on to low and stir
• Place a strainer over the saucepan witn the egg yolks and slowly pour the milk mixture through the stainer into the saucepan. The strainer will catch the orange rhine in the milk. Toss/discard the orange rhine from the strainer.
  
• Whisk until the mixture thickens. Do not allow the mixtureto over heat. It canquickly and easily scald if the heat is to high or if it over heats. Tip: When it starts to slightly thicken, lift the saucepan off the burner and stir the mixture over the stove.
• When thicken, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the pastry cream to cool for a few minutes.
• Transfer the pastry cream to a glass bowl and cover the cream with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap needs to touch the cream to prevent a skim from forming on the top.
  
• Refrigerate the pastry cream at minium for one hour. The cream can be made and used the next day if desired.

Making the Cookie Dough:

• Using a food processor add the flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Pulse mixture until well blended
  
• Add egg yolks and diced up pieces of cold butter. Pulse until well mixed. The ingredients will come together and form a dough.
  
• Transfer dough from the food processor to your work surface. Form the dough into a ball and wrap the doughl in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
  

Preparing the Cookies to Bake:

• Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parachment paper.Remove both the dough and the lemon pastry cream from the refrigerator.Divide the dough into quarters ( half the dough and then half it again).
• Roll out on quarter of the dough about 1/8 inch in thickness. Use a round or scalloped cookie cutter about 3 inches wide to cut out the dough. (Cut out 24 rounds for 12 cookies)Place cut out dough onto the parchment paper.
  
• Place about a spoon full of the lemon cream in the center of half the cut out cookies. ( on 12 if making a dozen cookies)Cover each of the cookies with filling with a solid cookie top. Seal the edges so the filling does not come out. You can use a fork, tongs, or your fingers to seal the edges around the cookies.
  
• Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. This will firm up the cookies and prevent them from losing their shape. The cookie dough has a high quanity of butter and the dough quickly becomes very soft.
• Bake the cookies for about 14 minutes or until the edges just start to become brown.Cool the cookies on a cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar when completely cooled

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cream pastry cookies

Author: Beverly

Make sure you grab a cookie before others know that they are baked. I promise these cookies will not last long.

Enjoy!!

Please let me know how your cookies turned out and what you thought about them.

Cheers!!