diff --git a/_includes/difficulty_stars.html b/_includes/difficulty_stars.html
deleted file mode 100644
index 5595514..0000000
--- a/_includes/difficulty_stars.html
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-{%- if page.difficulty or recipe.difficulty -%}
-	{%- if page.difficulty -%}
-		{%- assign difficulty = page.difficulty -%}
-	{%- else -%}
-		{%- assign difficulty = recipe.difficulty -%}
-	{%- endif -%}
-
-	{%- if difficulty < 6 and difficulty > 0 -%}
-		{%- comment -%} note: these characters are invalid unicode. they will only render properly on the webpage using the bundled "stars" font. {%- endcomment -%}
-		{%- assign empty_star ="" -%}
-		{%- assign full_star = "" -%}
-		{%- assign half_star = "" -%}
-
-		{%- comment -%} build a string of empty stars {%- endcomment -%}
-		{%- assign stars = "" -%}
-		{%- for i in (1..5) -%}
-			{%- assign stars = stars | append: empty_star -%}
-		{%- endfor -%}
-		{%- comment -%} replace the first difficulty stars will filled stars {%- endcomment -%}
-		{%- assign page_stars_rounded = difficulty | floor -%}
-		{%- for i in (1..page_stars_rounded) -%}
-			{%- assign stars = stars | replace_first: empty_star, full_star -%}
-		{%- endfor -%}
-		{%- if difficulty != page_stars_rounded -%}
-			{%- comment -%} stars ends in .5 (or .1, or .9, or whatever) {%- endcomment -%}
-			{%- assign stars = stars | replace_first: empty_star, half_star -%}
-		{%- endif -%}
-		<span class='stars'>{{ stars }}</span>
-	{%- endif -%}
-{%- endif -%}
diff --git a/_includes/recipes.html b/_includes/recipes.html
index 8202efc..18d3bf3 100644
--- a/_includes/recipes.html
+++ b/_includes/recipes.html
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 		<h3>{{ recipe.name }}</h3>
 		<p>
 			By {{ recipe.author }} -
-			{% if recipe.difficulty %}Difficulty: {% include difficulty_stars.html %} - {%- endif %}
+			{% if recipe.difficulty %}Difficulty: <span class='stars'>{{ recipe.difficulty | to_stars }}</span> - {%- endif %}
 			{{ recipe.method | size }} steps {%- if recipe.time %} -
 			{%- if recipe.time > 59 %} {{ recipe.time | divided_by: 60}}h {% endif -%}
 			{% assign mins = recipe.time | modulo: 60 -%}
diff --git a/_layouts/recipe.html b/_layouts/recipe.html
index 0fd7c6e..ad079e6 100644
--- a/_layouts/recipe.html
+++ b/_layouts/recipe.html
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ custom_h1: true
 	{%- endif -%}
 {%- endif -%}
 
-<p class='subtle'>{% if page.difficulty %}Difficulty: {% include difficulty_stars.html %} - {% endif %}{{ page.method.size }} steps - Estimated cooking time: {{ time | default: "Not provided" }} {% if page.author %} - By {{ page.author }} {% endif %}</p>
+<p class='subtle'>{% if page.difficulty %}Difficulty: <span class='stars'>{{ page.difficulty | to_stars }}</span> - {% endif %}{{ page.method.size }} steps - Estimated cooking time: {{ time | default: "Not provided" }} {% if page.author %} - By {{ page.author }} {% endif %}</p>
 {%- if applicable_subrecipes %}
 	<h2> Subrecipes </h2>
 	{% for subrecipe in site.subrecipes -%}
diff --git a/_plugins/custom_stuff.rb b/_plugins/custom_stuff.rb
index a5f932b..8b3439a 100644
--- a/_plugins/custom_stuff.rb
+++ b/_plugins/custom_stuff.rb
@@ -35,7 +35,27 @@ module Jekyll
 			end
 
 			"<span title='#{input}'>#{leading_integer != "0" ? "#{leading_integer} " : ""}<span class='fraction'><span class='numerator'>#{rational.numerator}</span><span class='denominator'>#{rational.denominator}</span></span></span>"
+		end
 
+		def to_stars(input)
+			input = input.to_i
+			if input <= 0 or input > 5
+				return "[invalid difficulty value: #{input}. difficulty must be between 0.5 and 5 (inclusive)]"
+			end
+
+			# the "star" characters are invalid unicode but will render properly on the webpage when using the 'stars' font
+			empty_star, half_star, full_star = "", "", ""
+			out = full_star * input.floor
+
+			if input.floor != input
+				out += half_star
+			end
+
+			while out.length != 5
+				out += empty_star
+			end
+
+			out
 		end
 	end
 end