Lemon Stars

Yields approximately 6 dozen single-layer cookies or 3 dozen sandwich cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
Tiny pinch salt
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons light cream
¾ teaspoon lemon oil
1 cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons grated lemon rind
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone paper.
2. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix yolks, cream, and lemon oil together in a measuring cup.
3. Cream sugar with butter, lemon rind and shortening until lightened and pasty. Beat yolk mixture into creamed butter until just combined.
4. Add dry ingredients and beat until mixture begins to clump together (about 18 or 20 seconds on lowest speed of electric mixer).
5. 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).
6. Working with 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll to about 1/8-inch thick on a well-floured work surface. Use cookie cuter of your choice to cut
out shapes. Using a spatula, transfer cut-outs to prepared baking sheet, placing them about 1 inch apart.
7. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

I cut the cookies with a star cookie cutter. Then with an aspic cutter (you know those little tiny ones) I cut a star out of the middle of the cookies. It is probably better to bake a sheet of tops and bottoms separately since the tops with the cut out color faster. When they are cool I put a little lemon curd (I make my own using the recipe from Better than Store Bought by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie.) on the bottom cookie. Then I top with the cut out star set offset. They will soften up with the lemon curd but are wonderful right away.