Jasmine Shortbread Sandwiches With Grapefruit Curd Food

JASMINE SHORTBREAD SANDWICHES WITH GRAPEFRUIT CURD

Steps:

• Beat together butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the tea, and beat on low speed until just combined (do not overmix). Form dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between pieces of parchment to a 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Cut out 20 squares with a 2 3/4-inch square cookie cutter, then cut each in half to make 40 rectangles.
• Gently press 1 flat side of 20 rectangles in sanding sugar, and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet, sugar side up. Bake until pale gold, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cookies cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining rectangles.
• Spread 1 generous teaspoon curd onto unsugared side of half the cookies, then sandwich with remaining cookies.

PINK GRAPEFRUIT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons grapefruit zest and the salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and gradually beat in the flour until incorporated.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and dust with flour. Gently knead a few times until soft but not sticky, dusting the surface with more flour as needed. Roll out to slightly thicker than 1/4 inch thick and cut out circles with a 2-to-2 1/2-inch-round cookie cutter. Gather the scraps and reroll to cut out more cookies.
• Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on 2 baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are firm and golden brown on the bottoms, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Whisk the remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon zest in a bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in up to 1 tablespoon more grapefruit juice until the glaze is spreadable. Tint pink with food coloring. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon glaze on each cookie. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.