Star Holiday Cookie Recipe

3-4 Dozen

Prep time – 25 minutes
Total time – 2 hours

2 sticks of unsalted butter room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese – room temperature
1 cup of sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg – room temperature
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Sanding sugar
Star cookie cutter

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar approx. 3 minutes with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Combine flour mixture with butter mixture until just combined.

Divide dough into 2 equal discs and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap. Chill dough in fridge for approx. 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay silpat non-stick backing mats on cookie sheets. Roll dough out to approx. ¼” thick. Use star cookie cutter to cut out stars from chilled dough. Take leftover dough, form a disc and chill if needed before making more cookies.

Place cookies on baking sheets about 1” between each. Sprinkle cookies with sanding sugar and bake cookies until beginning to brown at edges.
Approx. 8 minutes. Transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

Store in an airtight container.

*www.silpat.com

Or spread icing on them – see below for recipe.

Lemon Icing

2 tblspns cream cheese at room temperature
4-6 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar,
sifted decorating sugar

To Make the icing, in a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and 1 tbsp of the lemon juice until the mixture is silky smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl, add 1 tbsp lemon juice, and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. Add more juice if needed. Spread icing on the cookies, sprinkle with decorating sugar and let sit until the icing sets.