German Cinnamon Almond Stars

Traditional German Zimtsterne, or cinnamon almond stars, perfect for Christmas baking.

By @cultured.folk

Original recipe source

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 180 g pure icing sugar
• 0 meringue mixture
• 250 g almond meal
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 finely grated zest of lemon
• 0 salt
• 0 dough
• 0 icing sugar
• 0 dough
• 0 reserved meringue
• 0 rolled-out dough
• 0 rolled-out dough with meringue
• 0 leftover dough
• 0 stars
• 0 stars

Instructions

1. Whisk the egg whites until foamy.
2. Gradually add the icing sugar and continue whisking until thick, glossy and holding soft to medium peaks.
3. Reserve around 3–4 tablespoons of the meringue mixture for the topping.
4. Gently fold the almond meal, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt into the remaining meringue until a cohesive, slightly tacky dough forms.
5. Chill the dough briefly, just until it’s easier to handle. It doesn’t need a long rest! Just enough to make rolling easier.
6. Generously dust your work surface and rolling pin with icing sugar, then roll the dough to approximately 8mm thick.
7. Spread the reserved meringue evenly over the rolled-out dough, creating a thin, glossy layer.
8. Cut out your stars and transfer them carefully to a lined baking tray. This is the slightly fiddly part, particularly if you’re trying to keep every star perfectly neat, but don’t stress if you get some uneven icing.
9. Gather the leftover dough, gently bring it back together, roll it out again and repeat until you’ve used it up.
10. Allow the stars to stand for 15 minutes while you heat your oven to 150°C fan forced.
11. Bake for approximately 10–13 minutes. The topping should stay pale and the centres should remain soft.