Cheese Stars In Advance

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Nigella's Cheese Stars are savoury cheese biscuits (crackers) that are perfect to serve with drinks at a Christmas party or to give as gifts. The dough is made with butter and cheese and doesn't need any extra liquid to bind together. Also the lack of added liquid is an advantage as it means the dough can be re-rolled several times without the stars becoming tough or losing their melt-in-the-mouth texture.

The dough can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the fridge, tightly wrapped in clingfilm (plastic wrap). You need to let the dough come back to room temperature to roll it out, as very cold dough will crack when rolled. Alternatively roll and cut out the stars and then freeze them on baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Once the stars are solid, transfer them to resealable bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake the stars direct from frozen, the baking time should be about the same as the stars are quite small but check and be prepared to add an extra minute or two if necessary.