Star cookies with crab-apple jelly

These cute cookies make the perfect holiday dessert, snack or treat to leave out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

Start to finish: 4 hours, 40 minutes (30 minutes active)
Servings: 10 cookies

Ingredients
• 5.3 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup crab-apple jelly

Directions
1. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar, and mix until well incorporated. Add the salt and flour and mix again, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly, until the mixture has a sandy texture.

2. Pour the mixture onto plastic wrap placed on a flat surface. Fold the plastic wrap toward the center, and press firmly with your hands to create a solid ball of dough. Make sure the plastic wrap is airtight, and refrigerate the dough for 1 to 4 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4 of an inch thick. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, shape 20 cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly. For half of the cookies, use a second, smaller cookie cutter to create a hole in the center. Bake for 10 minutes, but make sure to rotate the pan 180 degrees at the 5-minute mark.

4. Let the cookies cool completely. Place 1 teaspoon of crab-apple jelly on top of a full cookie, and top it with one that has a hole. Press lightly to seal the two cookies together.