For me, these cookies are the embodiment of Christmas. Made with egg whites, sugar, ground almonds, and cinnamon, Zimtsterne are both beautiful and delicious. This recipe is also naturally gluten free.
German Cinnamon Star Cookies / Zimtsterne
A German Christmas cookie made from egg whites, sugar, and ground almonds and flavored with cinnamon. This recipe is naturally gluten free.
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g ground almonds 4 1/2 cups
- 300 g powdered sugar 2 3/4 cups
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp almond liqueur such as Amaretto
Glaze
- 1 egg white
- 125 g powdered sugar heaping cup
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.
- Either by hand or with a mixer, mix in the egg whites and almond liqueur until a crumbly dough forms.
- Using your hands, knead the dough until it becomes smooth. Cover and refrigerate while making the glaze.
- For the glaze, beat 1 egg white until stiff peaks form. Then beat in the powdered sugar a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Roll out a section of the dough onto a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Roll out the dough until it is 1 cm or 1/2 inch thick. Using a small 6 pointed star cookie cutter, cut out star shaped cookies.
- With a pastry brush, brush each star with the glaze and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. The cookies can be placed pretty close together because they won’t spread during baking.
- Bake in a 190C/375F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to let the glaze brown. It should remain mostly white with some tinge of golden along the edges. Place on a rack to cool and enjoy when at room temperature. Guten appetit and frohe Weihnachten!
These are fantastic! Thanks for a detailed and precise recipe.!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Cheryl!