Lemony Star Cookies for Christmas

Its Christmas time and the designs that come to my mind are stars and Christmas trees. I took an adventurous step towards preparing these star cookies bcoz I don’t have a star shaped cookie cutter so I decided to cut out a butter paper in the shape of a star and then stencil it on the cookie dough. I adapted a short bread kind of recipe since I dint want the cookie to rise. A lemony flavor is induced for a change in the cookie as well as in the frosting.

the recipe

ingredients for the cookies

flour – 1 cup

butter – ¼ cup

melted butter or veg oil – ¼ cup approximately

egg – 1

sugar - ¼ cup

salt – 2 pinch

vanilla extract – 1 tsp

lemon rind – 1 tbsp

ingredients for the frosting & deco

butter – ½ tbsp

sugar – 3 tbsp

buttermilk – 2-3 tbsp

lemon juice – 5-6 drops

silver sugar balls – as required

the method

Bring the butter to room temperature. Beat it till fluffy. Mix the sugar and salt. Add the powdered sugar and beat well. (Since this is a small quantity I used a fork to beat the mix). Add the egg and beat well. Pour the vanilla extract and melted butter or oil. Mix well. Add the lemon rind. Stir in the flour in batches and mix well. Make it into a disc shape and keep it in refrigerator for half an hour. Grease a baking tray or spread a butter paper and apply butter. Cut the cookies into preferred shape, place it in the baking tray and keep it in the refrigerator for another half an hour. Bake at 170C for 10 – 11 minutes. Remove from baking tray immediately. Cool it on wire racks.

For the frosting, mix together butter, sugar and lemon juice. Heat till sugar melts. Add buttermilk and boil until a pale white color forms. Turn off heat and cool it.

Brush the frosting on cookies and place the silver sugar balls in preferred design or just sprinkle it on cookies.

the recipe goes to Dr.Sameena's Cakes and Cookies for Christmas event  & Champa's Bake Off Event