How to Bake Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars)

Yields: 24 cookies

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Zimtsterne:

• 2 ¼ cups sifted icing sugar, plus more for dusting
• 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
• 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 15 oz sliced almonds, skin on
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Cooking instructions for Zimtsterne:

• Empty ½ cup of the icing sugar, 3 packed cups (10 oz) of almonds as well as a dash of ground cinnamon into a blender and pulse them into a fine powder, with few smaller chunks visible.
• Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk it thoroughly at high speed, using an electric mixer, for a minute or until it forms soft peaks.
• Sprinkle rest of the icing sugar into it in batches while beating it into the whipped egg whites at the same time, until fully incorporated.
• Continue to beat the mixture further for another couple of minutes or until it turns thick and stiff yet creamy; set 2/3 of it aside until necessary.
• Sprinkle the ground mixture into rest of the meringue mixture, followed by the lemon zest and fold them together until they blend thoroughly to form a stiff dough.
• Warm up your oven to 250 degrees F and spread sheets of parchment over 2 baking sheets.
• Spread another sheet of parchment paper onto the working surface and sprinkle small amount of extra icing sugar to cover completely.
• Transfer the dough onto the dusted paper and flatten it out with your palms.
• Sprinkle more icing sugar on top and place another parchment paper on top.
• Roll it out, while remaining sandwiched between the papers, into a ¼’ thick rectangle.
• Peel off the parchment papers and carve out star shaped cookies, using 3’’ star-shaped cookie cutter.
• Lay them out onto the lined baking sheets, spaced a couple of inches apart, and spread the reserved egg white mixture on top of each dough piece to coat evenly.
• Sprinkle rest of the almonds on top to decorate and bake in the hot oven for half an hour or until the base of the cookies turn golden brown while the meringue crisp up.
• Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
• Stuff them into an airtight container, seal and store at room temperature for as long as 10 days.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons