Zimtsterne are German cinnamon stars made from ground almonds, egg white and powdered sugar, with no flour and no butter anywhere in them. That makes them the one Christmas cookie on the plate that gluten free and dairy free guests can eat. Two dozen stars from only five ingredients.
Set aside two thirds of a cup of the meringue before the almonds go anywhere near it. That reserved meringue is the white top. Once the nuts are folded in there is no way back, since the recipe uses all three egg whites.
The oven work runs longer than the card says. Thirty minutes of baking is followed by ten more with the oven off and the door open. Cooking is really forty minutes, and the one hour total cannot cover the rolling and cutting as well.
Zimtsterne German Cinnamon Stars
Course: DessertCuisine: GermanDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalAlmonds ground with cinnamon and sugar, folded into a stiff meringue and rolled out between sugared paper. Stars are cut, capped with reserved meringue and dried slowly in a very low oven.
Ingredients
- For the Stars:
15 ounces sliced almonds with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for rolling
Directions
- Grind the almonds: Sift the confectioners sugar. Put 1/2 cup of it in a food processor with 10 ounces of the sliced almonds, about 3 heaping cups, and all the cinnamon. Process until the nuts are finely ground with only a few larger pieces left.
- Whip the meringue: Whip the egg whites on high in a large clean bowl until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Add the rest of the confectioners sugar gradually and whip about 2 minutes more, until thick, creamy and nearly stiff. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue before you do anything else, because it is the topping.
- Make the dough: Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough. Heat the oven to 250 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Roll and cut: Dust a sheet of parchment with confectioners sugar, turn the dough out, dust again and lay a second sheet on top. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Flip, peel one sheet off, lay it back, flip again and peel the other side so the dough releases cleanly. Cut 3 inch stars and space them 2 inches apart.
- Top and dry: Spread the reserved meringue over each star with a small spoon or offset spatula, keeping it off the sides, and press the remaining sliced almonds into it in a pattern. Bake about 30 minutes, until the bottoms are light golden and the meringue is set and crisp. Turn the oven off, open the door and leave them 10 minutes more to dry.
Notes
- There is no flour and no butter in this recipe, so it is gluten free and dairy free as written. The oven time is 40 minutes once the drying stage is counted, not the 30 on the card. The 149 calories a star checks out.
FAQs
Why such a low oven, and why leave them in after?
At 250 degrees the cookies dry rather than bake, which keeps the meringue top white instead of browning it. The ten minutes with the heat off and the door open finishes that drying without any more color. Rushing it at a higher temperature turns the tops beige.
Do the almonds need their skins on?
The skins are what give zimtsterne their speckled brown crumb against the white top, so yes if you want the traditional look. Blanched almonds work and taste the same, just paler. Sliced almonds grind more evenly than whole ones.
The dough is sticky. How do I roll it?
There is no flour in it, so sugar is the only thing standing between the dough and the paper. Dust generously, roll between two sheets, then peel one side off, lay it back, flip and peel the other. That releases it without tearing.
Can I make them ahead?
Two weeks in an airtight tin, and they soften slightly after a few days, which many people prefer. They do not freeze well, because the meringue weeps. Store them alongside these almond snowball cookies and keep the tin somewhere cool.
How are these different from a macaroon?
Both lean on nuts and egg white, but a macaroon is piped or dropped soft while this dough is stiff enough to roll and cut. The cinnamon and lemon zest also pull it away from sweet. Compare them with these coconut macaroons.
