Vanilla Bean Shortbread Sandwiches with Orange Buttercream

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. If using vanilla bean, scrape seeds from pod. Discard pod. Reserve half of the vanilla seeds or 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract for Orange Buttercream.

2. In a large bowl stir together flour and granulated sugar. Using a pastry blender, 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.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 8x6-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Using a fluted pastry wheel or a knife, cut into twenty-four 2x1-inch rectangles. Place rectangles 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. 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.

5. 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.