White Star Cookies Food

PISTACHIO LINZER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually mix in the flour until combined.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (Alternatively, you can divide it in half, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before proceeding to the next step.) Roll out the dough until it's 3/16 inch thick. Cut out twelve 3-inch circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter. Use a 3/4- to 1-inch-wide star cookie cutter or smaller circle to cut out a hole in the center. Place the cookies on one of the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the dough and cutouts and punch out 12 more 3-inch circles. Place the circles on the second baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies until set but still pale, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate chips. Stir in the pistachios and a drop of green food coloring, if desired.
• Once the cookies are cool, spread a thick layer of the white chocolate in the center of a cookie and then squish into a sandwich with one of the cutout cookies. Sprinkle the center with additional pistachios and/or sprinkles, if using. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Let stand at room temperature or in the fridge until set, about 5 minutes.

ZIMTSTERNE (GERMAN CINNAMON STAR COOKIES) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Add the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Continue beating for 5 minutes after the last addition. The mixture should be very stiff, like the icing used to hold a gingerbread house together.
• Remove 1/2 cup of this meringue mixture and set aside for icing.
• Fold the raw almond meal and cinnamon into the larger portion of meringue. Add the Kirschwasser, if you are using it, and incorporate. Chill the dough for about 1 hour.
• Using ample confectioners' sugar on your baking board or clean countertop, pat the dough into a square and roll out to 1/2-inch thick (or 1 centimeter).
• Cut out stars with a cookie cutter that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. Dust the cookie cutter between each cut.
• Place stars on a nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Brush or spread the reserved meringue icing on each star, working it out to all the points.
• Let the stars dry overnight (about 24 hours, if you can). An oven is a good place if you don't forget they are there and heat for something else.
• The next day, heat the oven to 325 F. Bake each tray for 10 to 15 minutes. This is to dry out the cookies a little more and bake the egg whites. Try to remove the cookies before the icing turns brown, although a little brown tint can look nice.
• Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let them cool completely on a wire rack before storing in a covered container in a dry place at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE STAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat overn to 375°.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat together Crisco, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, water and vanilla until well mixed.
• Add the flour, baking soda & salt to the mixing bowl and mix well.
• Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Place in preheated oven and bake for 9-11 minutes or until light brown.
• As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, place a chocolate star on the top of each cookie.

WHITE STAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt the white star candy and peanut butter together.
• Add all other ingredients and mix together.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.
• Refrigerate until hardened.

ZIMTSTERNE (CINNAMON STAR COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a bowl mix dry ingredients for dough.
• Add egg whites and knead until a still sticky dough is formed.
• Wrap into cling film and put into the fridge for at least one hour. I always leave it in the fridge for 2 - 4 hours.
• Near the end of cooling time preaheat oven (170 C) and make meringue glaze.
• For meringue glaze beat egg white with salt until stiff. While still beating add caster sugar by and by to make meringue.
• The meringue should have a consistency that you can spread it with a brush onto the dough later. It should have a more creamy consistency, so that it will stick on the dough and not running down.
• Add just a little milk to get the right consistency. Depending on the egg white you may need about 1 to 3 tablespoons.
• Line out baking trays with parchment paper.
• Get the dough out of the fridge and roll it out between two layers of parchment papers or cling film. The dough sould be a bout 1 cm thick.
• Method ONE for making cinnamon stars (easy way): Using a star cutter cut out the stars and place them on the baking tray. With a brush spread meringue glaze on the cookies.
• Method TWO for making cinnamon stars (tricky way): After you have rolled out the dough spread a thin layer of the meringue glaze on the dough. Now you need a star cutter which can be opened. These are available in Germany. When you can open the cookie cutter you avoid touching the glaze, because the dough has the tendency to stick to the cutter. Put the stars on the tray. Knead the rest of the dough again and add some grounded almonds, so that the dough is not too sticky. Repeat the steps of making the stars.
• Bake the cookies for about 10 - 12 minutes. Watch them carefully, because the meringue should not be browned.
• Take them out and let cool completely. Store them in airtight container. The cookies get better and better, because the flavours blended over time, but I you have to find a good hidout.
• NOTE on egg size: egg size is important here, because it determines the stickyness. My recipe is based on an egg size of 54 - 63 g per egg.
• Custom yield is a guess.
• Time to make does NOT include cooling time.