Zimtsterne
Cinnamon star cookies- Yield
- About 30 star cookies
- Active
- 40 minutes
- Total
- 2 hours, plus overnight drying
- Difficulty
- Medium
The story
Judging by their ingredients, Zimtsterne may be the oldest "modern" recipe on this list. Instead of flour they use ground almonds, which ties them to recipes from an era when wheat flour was expensive and almonds and cinnamon, imported along the trade routes through southern Germany, were symbols of prosperity. The glaze of beaten egg white and sugar is baked so that it stays white while the inside remains soft and moist, a skill every grandmother judges by eye, by smell and by the color of the cookie's edge. The star shape is linked to the Star of Bethlehem, so Zimtsterne are traditionally baked in the last weeks of Advent and arranged beside Lebkuchen and Spekulatius on the so-called Plätzchenteller, a plate of assorted Christmas cookies offered to guests throughout December. For many families in the diaspora, it is that plate of mixed cookies, more than any single dish, that they remember best. Each cookie told its own story, but together they meant Christmas had arrived.
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 2 1/2 cups finely ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- Extra powdered sugar, for rolling
Method
- Whisk the egg whites until frothy, then gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Set aside 1/3 cup of this meringue in a separate bowl, covered, for glazing later.
- Fold the ground almonds, cinnamon, and lemon juice into the remaining meringue to form a stiff dough. If sticky, chill 30 minutes.
- Dust a work surface heavily with powdered sugar and roll the dough about 1/3 inch thick.
- Cut into stars with a cookie cutter and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Thinly spread the reserved meringue glaze on top of each star. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for a few hours, or overnight, so the glaze dries to a matte white before baking (this is what keeps the tops white while the base stays chewy).
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake 12–15 minutes — the glaze should stay pale while the base and edges turn very lightly golden. Cool completely; the centers stay soft and chewy.