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German Chistmas biscuits in a stack, one star on its edges to show the meringue top

Authentic Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Stars)

Robyn
Zimtsterne, ‘cinnamon stars’, are traditional German Christmas biscuits made from ground almonds/almond meal, egg whites, sugar and cinnamon. They are light cookies with a slightly chewy centre and crunchy edges, topped with a meringue icing.
4.95 from 19 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course baking
Cuisine German
Servings 24 biscuits
Calories 125 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 egg whites from medium size eggs
  • Pinch salt
  • 250g (8.8oz) icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
  • 1.5- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 350g (12.3oz) ground almonds (almond meal, almond flour)

Instructions
 

  • Oven 140˚C fan 160˚C / 280˚F convection / 320˚F.
  • Line a couple of baking sheets with baking paper.
  • Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric whisk until stiff. Sift in the icing sugar a little at a time, whisking inbetween.
  • Remove 3 heaped tablespoons of the egg white mixture and put in bowl, placing to one side for the top of the stars.
  • Mix the cinnamon with the ground almonds then fold this into the egg whites.
  • Sprinkle the work surface with icing sugar - or roll between two sheets greaseproof paper - and roll out the dough to 1 cm (0.4 inches) thick. Cut out stars with 7cm (3 inch) cutter.
  • Place stars on baking trays and spread each star with ¼ - ½ teaspoon of the egg white mix - either use a pastry brush or the back of a teaspoon.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. They will feel soft to the touch.
  • Remove on the baking paper to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Will last 2 weeks in airtight container.
  • They freeze very well.

Notes

Ground almonds - the name given to them in the UK, aka almond meal in Australia and almond flour in America (use finely ground, blanched almond flour).
Egg whites - give these holiday cookies a meringue like light and airy texture. 
Cinnamon - the star ingredients in these cookies. I do not recommend leaving it out or substituting with another spice, as it would make these cookies in to another cookie entirely. If you aren't a fan of cinnamon then use 1 teaspoon but if you enjoy cinnamon then use 2 tsp. The cinnamon flavour mellows over time.
Icing sugar - confectioners sugar. Use normal rather than soft.
To Freeze: Cool the biscuits completely then wrap individually with a small piece of baking paper. Place the wrapped biscuits in a container with a lid or a sealable bag. This extra layer of wrapping helps stop strong freezer smalls such as onion from being absorbed by the biscuits.
Don't Over-bake the biscuits! The biscuits will feel soft to the touch when removed from the oven, but will harden as they cool. If you over cook the zimtsterne they can become dry.
You can use a traditional Zimtsterne cookie cutter, which some people prefer as it can leave the points of the star in tact, whereas the points can get stuck in some cookie cutters, however I use a - I use a 7cm/3" star cutter and don't have any issues.
Use a spoon or a toothpick to get the icing to the points of the star.
Ground Hazelnuts: You can use a mixture of ground almonds and ground hazelnuts if you like. Whilst I love ground hazelnut biscuits, I prefer zimtsterne made with just ground almonds – plus they are cheaper too!

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 6mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
Keyword almond meal, Christmas cookies, cinnamon stars, gluten free biscuits

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