In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest on a medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the flour on a low speed and beat until all of the flour is well incorporated.

Refrigerate the dough until fully chilled (at least 2 hours)

When your dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 300℉

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ⅓ inch thick and cut into your desired shape using a cookie cutter or a butter knife. Alternate cookie shaping methods: 1. You can use a cookie scoop and place each scoop on the baking tray. 2. You can roll the dough into a log and slice the dough into ⅓ inch slices and place on the baking tray.

Place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake for 20-25 minutes.

After 20-25 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool for one minute on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.

Once completely cool, you can store in an airtight container for 3-5 days. For long term storage, you can place these cookies or the uncooked dough into the freezer.