shortbread stars
rating:makes about 24
40g fine semolina (or polenta)
75g butter, at room temperature
40g golden caster sugar, plus a little extra for dredging
75g plain flour, sifted, plus a little extra for dusting
pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C).
beat the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon to soften it, then beat in the sugar, followed by the sifted flour and semolina.
work the ingredients together with the spoon, pressing them to the side of the bowl, then finish off with your hands until you have a smooth mixture that doesn’t leave any bits in the bowl.
transfer the dough to a flat, lightly floured surface and roll it out thinly, to a thickness of about 1/8inch (3 mm). Cut it out into approximately 24 stars or other shapes using a 2 inch (5 cm) cutter. If you want to hang the stars on the Christmas tree, using a skewer make a small hole in each one for the ribbon.
bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until pale gold. Then cool them on a wire rack. When cold, if you like, ice some of the stars with lemon icing (75g sifted icing sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice). Silver balls pressed into the icing will make them look particularly Christmassy.
