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Time does not include refrigerating the doughs.
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To make the plain dough: Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.
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Separate the seeds from the skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean.
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Place the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds and orange zest in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute.
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Combine the baking powder, salt and flour and add to the butter mixture all at once.
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Beat on low speed just until combined, about 1 minute.
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(Do not overmix the dough, or it will become tough.) Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 4-inch by 9-inch rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
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(The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight.) To make the chocolate dough: Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.
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Separate the seeds from the skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean.
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Place the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds and orange zest in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute.
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Combine the baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and flour and add to the butter mixture all at once.
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Beat on low speed just until combined, about 1 minute.
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(Do not overmix the dough, or it will become tough.) Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 4-inch by 9-inch rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
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(The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight.) To make the spiral pattern: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
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Remove the doughs from the refrigerator.
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(They will be hard; to make them easier to roll, give them a few quick raps with a rolling pin.) Lightly flour each side of each piece of dough and roll each piece into a 7-inch by 16-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
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Brush what will be your bottom layer of dough with a thin coat of water.
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Place one dough on top of the other and roll out another inch or so.
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Brush the top dough with another thin coat of water to help the dough stick to itself.
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Starting at the long side, roll the two dough into a cylinder 1 1/2- to 1 3/4-inch in diameter.
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Put in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes or so until hard.
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Cut the cylinder into 1/2-inch thick slices and lay the cookies cut side down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet, about 1/2-inch apart.
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Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
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The cookies will store for 5 days in an airtight container.
