Lemon stars
MAKES about 25 PREP 20 mins plus 1 hr chilling COOK 15 mins MORE EFFORT V G dough only
120g softened butter
120g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
150g ground almonds icing sugar, to decorate
For the lemon curd
1 lemon, zested and juiced
90g caster sugar
1 egg
60g unsalted butter, chopped
¼ tsp ground turmeric
You will need star-shaped biscuit cutters (approx. 5cm and a small one for the centre)
1 Put all the curd ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 mins. To check if it’s ready, dip a wooden spoon in and blow on it gently. If a wave-like pattern forms, remove from the heat and sieve into a bowl. It will thicken more as it cools. Tip into a sterilised jar and leave to cool completely.
2 Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Mix in the egg yolks and the vanilla extract, then add the flour, almonds and a pinch of salt. Work everything into a smooth dough with your hands, then wrap and put in the fridge for 1 hr.
3 Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/ gas 3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 4mm. Press out stars using the larger cutter, then make a hole in the middle of half of the biscuits with the smaller star cutter. Re-roll the excess, making sure you don’t overwork the pastry, and stamp out more biscuits. Put the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and bake for 10 mins until golden. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.
4 Spread the lemon curd on the biscuits without a hole, and put a biscuit with a hole on top of each one. Dust the biscuits with icing sugar. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.
PER STAR 158 kcals • fat 10g • saturates 4g • carbs 13g • sugars 9g • fibre none • protein 3g • salt 0.1g