Merry Christmas! What?!? On Christmas morning growing up, we had Stars. Now our family has the tradition of eating Stars each Christmas morning. Chris said he wonders how he made it all those Christmas mornings without eating Stars. The recipe looks a bit intimidating but let me well assure you that they are totally worth it. Plus they need to be in the refrigerator overnight so you can make them ahead of time. So worth the time!
Lemon Cheese Stars
Dough
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons water
2-3/4 to 3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 egg
Filling
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind, optional
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Prepare dough: heat milk, butter, and water in saucepan until very hot; butter can be partially melted.
Mix 1 cup flour, sugar and yeast in large bowl. Add warm milk. Beat 2 minutes by hand. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour. Beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make dough. Knead on lightly floured surface 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add flour to prevent sticking. Press dough into large buttered bowl; turn to coat. Cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare filling. Beat cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, lemon rind, and lemon juice in bowl until creamy and smooth. (Reserve egg white) Cover and refrigerate filling.
Punch dough down without kneading. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 12x12 inch square. Cut into 16 3-inch squares.
Make a 1 inch cut diagonally to center from all four corners on each square. Divide filling evenly onto center of each square, using about a tablespoon for each square. Bring every other corner to center over filling; pinch together to form a 4 pointed star.
Place 1 inch apart on well greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove stars from refrigerator. Let rise 10 minutes. Brush with beaten egg white. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to racks to cool. Drizzle with basic glaze.
Basic Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon butter, softened
2-4 teaspoons hot water, milk or lemon juice
Stir together confectioners’ sugar, butter and liquid in small bowl until mixture is smooth and of good glazing consistency.
*I forgot to put the glaze on before taking the picture so picture it with a sugary white glaze all over the top.
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