Melting Moments

This is a borrowed recipe which has been altered slightly.
Orinigal recipe found here:  http://www.joyofbaking.com/MeltingMoments.html

Melting Moments
Beat together with electric mixer for about 2 minutes:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons salted butter, (must be room temperature)

1/4 cup icing sugar (confectioners or icing) 

pinch of salt
then add:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)

1/2 cup cornstarch (sifted)
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 drops of almond extract
(note - there is no other liquid, there is no egg)
blend for about 30 seconds with the mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Place 1/2 of the mixture into a piping bag with a very large star tip.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Pipe one inch round stars x 1 inch height.  You should get about 18 stars with 1/2 the mixture.
Refill bag with remaining mixture and pipe remaining 18 stars.  Make them as even sized as possible.
Place cookie sheets in freezer for 10 minutes.  Moved them to the fridge for another 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake cookies on a rack in the middle of the oven for 14-16 minutes (or until edges are starting to turn a golden colour).  Once baked, let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them onto wire racks for about another 5 minutes before giving them a dusting of icing sugar.  Instead of dusting with icing sugar you could glaze them with thinned buttercream, or sandwich them with the following buttercream icing after letting them cool for 1/2 hour:







Buttercream Icing for Sandwiching Cookies:
Mix 1/4 cup salted butter until light and fluffy
Gradually Add:
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
1/4 tsp of pure vanilla
1/2 tsp milk (or cream/sour cream)
(beat for at least 4 minutes with handheld mixer, continuing to scrape down sides of bowl).
For thinned glaze gradually add an extra tsp of milk or so ... just a few drops at a time until its thin enough for your taste.

Enjoy!