Star Sugar Cookies

I turned 25 in August and for my birthday my boyfriend gave me a cookbook full of yummy baking recipes. I soon got to work and decided on baking some sugar cookies with glazed icing and hundred and thousands sprinkled on top.
I took these with me to visit family and they loved it. My boyfriend took the rest to his work and he came home with an empty tin, a good sign!

Ingredients

200g Butter
280g Caster sugar
Quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 Egg
400g plain flour
a pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon of cream of tartar

Oven 170c

I place the soft butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a large bowl and whisk until cream and fluffy. I add the egg and mix well with the whisk again.
I add the flour, salt and cream of tartar and mix with a spoon ensuring there is no clear flour left. There always seems to be too much flour at first but once the mixing takes place it forms together and shrinks and it is then that I get my hands in and squash it all together into a ball so I can roll my dough.

I prepare a flat surface and dust it with flour. I get out my rolling pin and roll into a flat round shape using the pin in all directions. Once I am happy with the thickness of the dough I start cutting with my star shaped cutter. This is the fun bit! Once laid on a greaseproof tray I re-roll the dough to get as much out as possible. Once most of the dough is used I pop them in the oven and keep an eye on them. Mine took 10 minutes and even then I over cooked them so it is important to watch it and open the door to check. It should be a light brown around the edges and the same everywhere else.

Royal Icing

1 egg white
310g icing sugar
Food colouring if you want to jazz it up, but I prefer a classic white for my stars!

I beat the egg until it is bubbly and foamy and I gradually add the icing sugar whisking lightly. I whisk until it forms soft peaks and is thick, hard to mix and pure white.

I use a small spoon to place onto the cooled cookies and smooth down with a knife. Once done I sprinkle some hundreds and thousands, these remind me of my childhood and add some welcome colour and cheer to the pretty stars.