Lemon Stars

Name: Lemon Stars
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 3 dozen
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour; 1/4 cup cornstarch; 2 teaspoons baking powder; tiny pinch salt; 2 egg yolks; 3 tablespoons light cream; 3/4 teaspoon lemon oil; 1 cup white sugar; 3 tablespoons lemon rind, grated; 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1-1/2 sticks); 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening; 1 (10 ounce) jar lemon curd (homemade may be used)

Submitted by Lorraine of AZ

"A beautiful, lemony cookie for your Christmas (or any other) cookie tray. A lemon curd filling holds two cookies together sandwich-style. The cookies do soften some up due to the lemon curd but they are wonderful right away. Note that single-layer cookies without lemon curd may also be served. Recipe was posted on Chow.com by AGM/Cape Cod."

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Ready In:: 42mins
Ingredients:: 12
Yields:: 3 dozen

ingredients

2 ¹⁄₂ cups flour
¹⁄₄ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
tiny pinch salt
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons light cream
³⁄₄ teaspoon lemon oil
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons lemon rind, grated
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1-1/2 sticks)
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 (10 ounce) jar lemon curd (homemade may be used)

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone paper.
Mix flour, cornstarch, baking power, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix yolks, cream, and lemon oil together in a measuring cup.
Cream sugar with butter, lemon rind and shortening until lightened and pasty. Beat yolk mixture into creamed butter until just combined.
Add dry ingredients and beat until mixture begins to clump together (about 18-20 seconds on lowest speed of electric mixer.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently to shape into a soft dough. (Can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 6 months.
Working with 1/4th of dough at a time, roll to about 1/8-inch thick on a well-floured work surface. Use a star cookie cutter to cut out shapes (or use any cookie cutter of choice). Using a spatula, transfer cut-outs to prepared baking sheet, placing them about 1-inch apart. Using a tiny hor d'oeuvre cutter cut a star out of the middle of one sheet of the cookies (or use any shape of choice.) The cut-out cookies will color faster than the others so it is best to have all of them on a separate baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until golden, 10-12 minutes.l Repeat with remaining dough.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. When they are completely cool, put a little lemon curd on the cookies that will be the bottom cookies. Top with a cut-out cookie offsetting it. Serve.