INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR DOUGH
Make dough 1. In a bowl with an electric mixer at low speed beat together
almond paste, granulated sugar, butter, and vanilla until light and creamy.
Gradually beat in flour and salt until just combined well. Quarter dough
and roll out each quarter between sheets of wax paper into an 11-inch round
(about 1/8-inch thick). Stack rounds in wax paper on a baking sheet. Chill
rounds until firm, at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with
parchment paper.
3. Transfer 1 round, still between sheets of wax paper, to a work surface.
Remove top sheet of wax paper from round (keep remaining rounds chilled)
and replace it loosely. Flip over wax-paper-enclosed round and remove and
discard sheet of eax paper now on top (this process prevents cookies from
sticking to wax paper). Working quickly, with a 3-inch star-shaped cutter
cut out stars and arrange about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet. (If dough
becomes too soft to work with, freeze or chill on wax paper until firm.)
With a 1/2-inch star-shaped or round cutter cut and lift out centers from
half of stars (about 15). Lightly beat egg whites and lightly brush onto
tops of cut-out stars. Sprinkle sand or pearl sugar over cut-out stars,
pressing sugar down lightly so that it adheres.
4. Bake cookies in lower third of oven until bottoms are pale golden but
tops are still pale, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet on a
rack 5 minutes and transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.
Make more cookies with remaining dough rounds in same manner, lining baking
sheet with fresh parchment.
5. Arrange solid stars, bottom sides up, on a work surface. In a small
heavy saucepan boil jelly, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes and cool 10
minutes. Transfer jelly to a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip
(slightly smaller than 1/8 inch).
6. Pipe about 1/4 teaspoon jelly onto center of each cookie. Center cut-out
stars on top of solid stars, pressing gentlyso jelly fills in holes.
Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container
at cool room temperature, 3 days.
Makes about 60 cookies.
Pure almond paste: available at some specialty food shops and by mail order
from Dean & DeLuca, 800-221-7714
To order GMA recipes or to subscribe yearly please call: 1-800-543-4GMA
Single recipes $3 / Yearly $14.95
Busted by Barb ob 2/21/98
NOTES : This recipe calls for sand sugar or pearl sugar (both sometimes
known as coarse or crystal sugar), both of which have larger grains than
granulated sugar and are used for decorating baked goods. Sand sugar has
slightly smaller and shiner grains than pearl sugar. Sand sugar and the
star-shaped cookie cutters (3-inch and 1/2-inch) needed for this recipe are
available by mail order from New York Cake and Baking Distributors at
800-942-2539. Gourmet magazine's Sara Moulton brought in these awesome
holiday cookies.
Recipe by: Gourmet magazine
Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by "abprice@wf.net" <abprice@wf.net> on Mar 23,
1998

A Message from our Provider:

“Lust and selfishness do not equal love”