These pretty cookies will not only be the star on your cookie plate, but they are also deliciously lemony. The dough is filled with fresh lemon zest and the glaze is made with fresh lemon juice. Topped with mini stars, they will be a favorite at your cookie swap or holiday get-together.

1 ¼  cups confectioners’ sugar
18 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
½  teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
Zest of one lemon, reserve the juice for the glaze recipe
2 ¾  cups all-purpose flour, we prefer White Lily Flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt, lemon extract, and lemon zest beating until smooth. Add the flour and mixing until smooth. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flattened disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it’s soft enough to roll but still cold.

On a lightly floured surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it ¼“ thick. Use a two-inch star cookie cutter to cut the star shapes out of the dough. Refrigerate the stars as you cut them. Re-roll and cut the dough scraps into stars shapes, refrigerating them as you go.

When the oven is ready, place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets about an inch or two apart.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until they’re set and lightly browned around the edges. Place on a rack and cool completely, then glaze with the lemon glaze. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Lemon glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½  tablespoons egg white powder
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Whisk together the powdered sugar and egg white powder. Add the lemon juice and mix until smooth. The glaze should be thick and pourable. Add a little more lemon juice if too thick. Drizzle over the star cookies and top with mini stars.