Notes from the Nelsens: Day 1: 12 Days of Bloggy Christmas- Cornmeal Stars w/ Orange Glaze

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On the 1st Day of Bloggy Christmas Miss Joy gave to me Cornmeal Stars with Orange Glaze

I am so happy to be participating in A Handful of Everything's 12 Days of Bloggy Christmas! It runs from December 1st through 12th, and then wraps up with a cookie link party (The Baker's Dozen Christmas Cookie Exchange) on Friday, Dec. 13th! A lovely cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread, the taste of these Cornmeal Stars reminds me of a sweet scone. The cornmeal gives an enjoyable, slightly chewy texture- a bit of a rustic touch. The sweetness and orange flavor are nicely subtle in the cookies themselves, then increase with the addition of the glaze. I preferred the cookies plain, and my husband enjoyed the glazed ones- so I prepared some of each. While baking, these little stars fill your home with sweet smells of orange, butter, and vanilla. They will be a delicious addition to your holiday celebrations.

Cornmeal Stars with Orange Glaze Printable Recipe Makes 58, 3 1/2" cookies Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 egg whites 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons orange zest, divided use 5 tablespoons orange juice, divided use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions: 1. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. On low, beat egg whites into butter mixture, just until blended. Still on low, add egg yolk, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons orange zest, 2 tablespoons orange juice and vanilla to butter/egg white mixture, beating just until blended. 2. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture in three parts, beating just until blended after each addition. 3. Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Flatten dough into discs and refrigerate for 8 hours or freeze for 1/2 hour. Dough is very soft and must be chilled before handling. 4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out one portion of dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with floured cookie cutters and place cut outs on parchment lined cookie sheets (or roll dough directly onto parchment paper, cut out cookies and remove trimmings. Place parchment paper onto cookie sheet and bake). Re-roll trimmings for additional cookies. Keep dough refrigerated between rollings. 5. Bake for about 10 to 11 minutes or until just starting to brown. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to wire racks until completely cooled. 6. For orange glaze/frosting, combine remaining 1/2 tablespoon zest, remaining 3 tablespoons orange juice, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl, whisking until smooth. (Add a little more sugar to make the frosting thicker, if you like, or add a few drops of orange juice if you'd like it to be thinner). Spread topping on stars. Place cookies on wire racks until topping is set, about half an hour or so, depending on how thick it is.

Cooks notes: The original source showed the cookies with frosting. Following the recipe exactly, mine made more of a glaze, which we ended up really liking- it's a little lighter, and you can see the pretty flecks of zest.