Donna Chiara's Stelline d'Oro

Created by Mary Ann Esposito, host of Ciao Italia
Excepted from the book Jingle the Christmas Clown by Tomie dePaola

I could not find a picture of the cookie but I found these and they look yummy!

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tbsps orange flower water or 2 tsps orange juice

Stir the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar. Add the egg, the orange water or juice and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
Wrap the dough in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece, one at a time, until 1/8" thick.
Cut with small star cookie cutter. Place cookies evenly spaced on a large greased cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 6-7 minutes. Watch carefully or cookies will begin to brown. They should be firm to the touch but still pale.
Cookies will crisp as they cool.
Carefully remove cookies to a rack to cool. Continue with the dough until all is used. Makes 4-5 dozen.
When cookies are cool, ice with the following frosting:

• 1/8 tsp saffron threads or powdered saffron
• 1 1/2 tbsps warm water
• 1 1/2 tbsps orange flower water or orange juice
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Soak saffron threads for at least 10 minutes in the warm water; strain the liquid so it is clear and discard threads. Add the saffron water and orange flower water or orange juice to the confectioners' sugar. Mix well. Frost cookies and sprinkle with coarse raw sugar.