Citrus Slice Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter unsalted softened
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2  eggs 
• 3 cups flour all-purpose
• 1 Dash salt 
• 1.5 tablespoons orange zest grated
• 1 teaspoon orange extract 
• 1 serving purple gel food coloring red yellow
• 2 teaspoons optional: lemon grated
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract 
• 1 serving p of sugar yellow

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• baking paper
• oven
• knife
• plastic wrap
• hand mixer
• stand mixer

Directions

1. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs with electric stand mixer on medium-low speed or with electric hand mixer on lowest speed until well combined.
2. Add flour and salt; beat until soft, nonsticky dough forms. (You should be able to handle the dough without it sticking to your fingers. If dough is sticky, beat in additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes to the correct consistency.)
3. On work surface, shape dough into a ball. Divide into 3 equal portions. Return one-third of dough to bowl; beat in orange peel, orange extract and drops of yellow and red food color until orange color is consistent.
4. Remove dough from bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
5. Clean bowl; add another one-third portion of dough. Beat in lemon peel, lemon extract and drops of yellow food color until yellow color is consistent.
6. Remove dough from bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
7. Leave remaining one-third of dough plain; cover with plastic wrap.
8. Refrigerate all dough portions 1 hour.
9. Shape each portion of tinted dough into a roll about 5 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter; set aside. On lightly floured work surface, roll plain dough into a rectangle.
10. Place roll of orange dough on plain dough.
11. Roll plain dough in a single layer around orange dough.
12. Cut away excess dough; reserve for yellow dough.
13. Place orange sanding sugar on plate; roll dough log in sugar until completely coated. Wrap sugar-coated dough log in plastic wrap; refrigerate. Repeat process with lemon dough, remaining plain dough and yellow sanding sugar. Refrigerate dough logs at least 4 hours.
14. Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
15. Cut chilled logs into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rounds. With back edge of knife, score “segment” lines into each round, making only indentations (do not go all the way through).
16. Cut rounds in half; place on cookie sheets.
17. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set.
18. Remove cookies from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.