With Christmas around the corner (12 days away, can you believe it?) I am going to give you all a little extra loving in the upcoming week! Here it is– the Seven Days of Christmas– a series of seven delectable Christmas posts! Every day for the next week, one of my favourite Christmas recipes will be posted on Blue Owl for your festive enjoyment!

Woah! Get ready…

The Seven Days of Christmas

Day 1:

Christmas Star Tarts

These cookie tarts are classically delicious. Their jam-filled strawberry centres have an almost beautiful way of pairing with their crumbly shortbread exteriors. Each cookie is tiny, delicate and so stunning you will want to trim your Christmas tree with the little guy. I am in love! Below is the recipe:

Christmas Star Tarts (With Jammy Centres)

Yield: Two Dozen Supplies: Star shaped and small round cookie cutters. Time: 2 hrs. Bake: 375 F

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 jar strawberry jam
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar
(1 tbsp milk or buttermilk (optional))

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add almond extract/ vanilla. Beat in the egg. Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into the creamed mixture. Dough will be stiff. If you feel like it is too dry and crumbly, add a tsp of milk or buttermilk until the consistency you like is reached. Dough should easily form a ball but should definitely not be wet. 1 tbsp milk max.

3. Divide dough in half and lump together in two balls. Saran and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. Remove dough from fridge, and lightly flour a surface to work on. Tear a long piece of wax paper, lay it out over the floured surface, then plop dough on top of paper. Lay another piece of wax paper on top of dough and begin to roll into a 1/8 inch thick sheet.

5. Remove top wax paper and begin to cut star shapes out of the dough! Place star shapes on your prepared cookie sheets. Cut tiny circles out of half the stars you shape. These will be the tops of your jam tarts.

6. Place all the tart “tops” with the circles cut out of their centres on one baking sheet and the regular stars on another. Baking time will be shorter (6-8 mins) for the tart tops verses the regular stars (8-10 mins).

7. Bake stars at 375 F until they are slightly golden, remembering to take the tart tops out a couple minutes earlier than the regular stars. Remove from cookie sheets immediately, and cool completely on wire rack.

8. Dollop a 1/2 tsp of jam in the centre of the full stars, and sandwich the tart tops ontop.

9. With a sieve, sprinkle icing sugar on top of your Christmas Stars. (I didn’t) but this can be a beautiful effect!

Note: If you’d like to make these ahead of time, freeze stars in sealed bag without jam on them. Remove starts from the freezer on the day of your event/party and assemble once defrosted.

Recipe credit: All Recipes.com

I hope you enjoy your beautiful little Christmas Star Tarts. They are such tiny little treats that will pass on as much joy as you had making them. A gift that keeps on giving? :)

Today is Friday! Do you have any big plans for the weekend? I will be busy working all weekend but am looking forward to doing this tomorrow night. A couple I know is heading to a masked Christmas ball this evening (swanky!). Tis the season to be extra fancy. Well, I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead full of festivity, happiness and some down time.

Mantra of the day– keep on spreading the love and good cheer, my friend.

PS: How-to win that Cookie-Off you’re heading to this season (of course)… HELLO awesome!

PPS: A Gift guide for your best girl friends who are always up for adventures and look gorgeous in red lipstick. :) xox (Thought of all my favourite ladies when I read this!)

Love,

Blue Owl