Zimtsterne, or cinnamon stars, are classic German Christmas cookies made with ground almonds, cinnamon, egg whites and powdered sugar. Southern Chile has a strong German baking influence, the same one behind kuchen and streusel, so these little stars are very common there during the holidays.

They have no wheat flour, so they are naturally gluten free. My tip: spread the glaze over the rolled dough before cutting the stars instead of glazing each cookie afterward. The tops come out much smoother, and you don’t waste anything, because the scraps can be mixed with a little more ground almond and rolled again.

Stored in an airtight tin lined with a paper towel, they keep for up to 3 weeks.

Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Star Cookies)

Zimtsterne are German cinnamon star Christmas cookies made with ground almonds and topped with a crisp white glaze. They look complicated, but they are quite simple if you follow the steps carefully, and they are beautiful.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 310

Ingredients

For the dough

▢ 2 1/2 cups finely ground almonds 250 g; or almond flour
▢ 2 tsp ground cinnamon level
▢ 2 egg whites at room temperature
▢ 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar 200 g; also called confectioners’ sugar
▢ 1 pinch salt
▢ zest of 1 lemon

For the glaze

▢ 1 egg white
▢ 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar 150 g; approximately

Cook mode

Instructions

In a bowl, mix the ground almonds with the cinnamon, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
Beat the egg whites until lightly foamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar while you keep beating, then add the almond mixture and keep mixing until you have a smooth paste.
Flatten the dough a little and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
Make the glaze: whisk the egg white with the powdered sugar by hand until smooth and slightly pasty. Set aside.
Roll out the dough to the thickness you like. They are usually made about 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick, but I prefer them thinner.
Spread the glaze over the rolled dough and smooth it with a spatula. Let it rest for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Put hot water in a small bowl and dip a star-shaped cookie cutter into it, then cut out the stars, leaving as little space between them as possible.
Carefully transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Let them cool before removing them from the baking sheet, and enjoy!
To use up the dough scraps, mix in a little more ground almond and repeat the whole process, or simply cut them into pieces and bake them. ¡A disfrutar!