Maple Star Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 1 and 1/4 cups premium flour + extra for work
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 0.5 tbsp. maple sugar
• 1 large egg
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• Golden decorative sugar, for sprinkling

Filling

• 60 g white chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp maple extract
• 0.5 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Bake some cookiesIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and maple sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low; add the flour mixture and beat until fully combined. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.
2. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Divide the dough into three pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough out on a floured work surface to a thickness of 0.3 cm. Using a 2-inch (5-cm) cookie cutter, cut out stars from the dough; place them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on two clean baking sheets and sprinkle with golden sugar. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are set and lightly browned on the bottom, 13-16 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
4. Prepare the fillingMelt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Let cool. Stir in the butter with a silicone spatula, then add the powdered sugar, maple extract, and lemon juice until smooth. Sandwich the filling between two cookies.