Soft honey dough, delicate egg white buttercream, caramel condensed milk, and white chocolate create an impressive Christmas cookie with a rich flavor. The stars are perfect for the holiday table or as an edible gift, and thanks to the light chocolate coating, they look elegant.
Preparing them requires a bit of time and patience, but each step is easy to manage. It’s important to let both the honey mixture and the baked stars cool thoroughly. For finishing, you can also use another type of chocolate or your favorite sprinkles to taste.
What you’ll need
For the honey dough:
- 350 g plain flour,
- 140 g sugar,
- 80 g honey,
- 80 g butter,
- 2 eggs,
- 1 teaspoon baking soda.
For the egg white buttercream:
- 2 egg whites,
- 200 g butter,
- 100 g powdered sugar.
For the caramel filling:
- caramel condensed milk.
For finishing:
- white chocolate,
- optionally another type of chocolate or sprinkles.
The original recipe does not specify the exact amount of caramel condensed milk, white chocolate, or optional sprinkles, so adjust according to the number of baked stars and your taste preference.
Step-by-step preparation:
1. Preparing the honey mixture: In a saucepan, combine butter, honey, and sugar. Stirring constantly, add eggs and baking soda, and gently cook the mixture for about 5 minutes. Watch and stir the whole time to prevent the eggs or other ingredients from burning.
2. Cooling the mixture: Remove the cooked honey mixture from the heat and let it cool. Add the flour only once the base has cooled, so the dough is easy to work with and the flour doesn’t get steamed in the hot mixture.
3. Making the dough: Add 350 g of plain flour to the cooled honey mixture and work into a smooth, cohesive dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge. The original recipe does not specify the exact resting time.
4. Rolling and cutting: Place the rested dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll it out to the desired thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out individual stars and arrange them on a baking tray.
5. Baking: Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the stars until golden. The original recipe does not state the exact baking time, so check the cookies regularly by color. Once baked, let them cool completely.
6. Whipping the egg white cream: Whip two egg whites with 100 g powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the butter and continue whipping until you have a smooth egg white buttercream with no visible butter pieces.
7. Adding caramel condensed milk: Add caramel condensed milk to the finished egg white buttercream and mix thoroughly. Adjust the amount to taste and to achieve a consistency suitable for piping.
8. Filling the stars: Transfer the caramel cream to a piping bag with a nozzle. Fill the cooled stars with the prepared filling. Do not start filling earlier, as warm cookies could soften the cream.
9. Chocolate finishing: Melt the white chocolate and dip the filled stars in it. If you wish, you can use another type of chocolate or add sprinkles on top. Let the finished cookies sit until the chocolate sets.
Why the stars must cool before filling
Letting the baked cookies cool completely is important for both the appearance and consistency of the filling. On warm stars, the egg white buttercream would soften, lose its shape, and could leak out when dipped in chocolate.
Give the same attention to the honey mixture before adding the flour. If you don’t rush the individual steps, the dough will be easier to handle and the finished stars will look neater.
How to work with caramel cream
Add the caramel condensed milk to the smooth egg white buttercream. Since the original recipe does not specify the exact amount, adjust according to taste and consistency. The filling should pass through the piping bag nozzle but still hold its shape on the cookies.
Final tip
Besides white chocolate, you can also finish the stars with another type of chocolate or sprinkles. This way, you can easily match the look of the cookies with other types on your Christmas tray. Let the coating set properly before serving.
