Cinnamon combines with a meringue and almond flour to create a light, gluten free Zimtstern. Most Germans buy this Christmas cookie at stores, but it's so much better homemade!
Today's Zimtsterne are a classic German Christmas cookie (and they're part of my Top 5 German Christmas Cookies!). They're fluffy, gluten free little star shaped almond cookies and it took me a couple of batches to really figure out how to perfect them. One of the key findings from my experiments was that you do not want to over-bake this cookie, and believe me, it's easily done.
The meringue component to the cookie really makes the cookie turn rock hard if baked for too long. The other important part is beating the egg whites and sugar for at least 6 minutes (my mixer comes in handy here), so you end up with a fluffy cookie texture and not one that's too dense.
It's also important to allow the dough to chill in the fridge for the whole 2 hours before baking. That way it's easier to work with since it's extremely sticky! Lastly, using LOTS of powdered sugar when rolling out the dough and cutting out the star shapes should help to prevent from the dough sticking to everything as well. Believe me, you'll love these!
Zimtsterne: German Cinnamon Star Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 300 g almond flour or almond meal (with skin)
- 200 g powdered sugar plus more for rolling out the dough
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g powdered sugar for rolling out the dough
Instructions
- Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Add in the lemon juice and powdered sugar and beat for 6 to 8 minutes. Reserve 5 Tbsp, cover airtight and keep cold in the fridge.
- Add the ground almonds, cinnamon and vanilla to the beaten egg white sugar mixture and stir until combined. Cover the dough and move it to the fridge for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven on the convection setting to 300 degrees Fahrenheit / 150 degrees Celsius. Prep some baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Roll out the dough on a fairly thick layer of powdered sugar to ½ inch thickness. Using a small star cookie cutter, cut out stars , making sure to remove any dough residue in between and dipping the cutter in powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
- Using a pastry brush, brush on the reserved egg mixture and bake for 12 minutes on the second from bottom rack in your oven.
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