Lemon Cream Cheese Star Cookies

This is a basic cream cheese cookie recipe that I added lemon and almond slices to. Keep an eye on them while baking--they are so rich they can burn in a minute. You can use either a 5-pointed star or 6-pointed star as a cookie cutter, depending on your religion. My cookie cutter was about 2 inches wide.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 8  ounces cream cheese
• 3⁄4 cup butter
• 1  cup sugar
• 2  teaspoons vanilla
• 2  teaspoons  lemon extract
• 2 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  tablespoon lemon rind, grated
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 1  cup powdered sugar
• 1  cup  sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar vanilla, and lemon extract in mixer bowl on medium speed until creamy.
3. Add flour, baking soda, lemon peel, until well blended.
4. Chill dough 1 hour or overnight.
5. Roll dough on well-floured surface into about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into star (or any other) shape with a cookie cutter.
6. Bake on greased cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes, until edges start to slightly brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.
7. Mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar to make a glaze. Assemble all cookies on baking sheets and drizzle glaze on them. Immediately press sliced almonds into glaze.