Zimsterne

December is always a very busy month, yet also a very delicious one. What I love most about December is that you may be in a rush for many reasons (work, family, friends, volunteering, etc) but there's always room for a sweet moment with Christmas treats. Sure breaks are nice in any given season, but is there anything more comforting than having a break around Christmas time? Seriously, just think about it. Taking a break with a cinnamon star or two in one hand, and a seasonal tea or coffee in the other - daydreaming about the upcoming weeks, about winter, and the snow. 

Well, at least that's how I slide through the advent season. So today's recipe is a German classic: Zimtsterne. Zimtsterne are cinnamon stars with a meringue like icing on top. I have so many lovely memories of Zimsterne moments. When we were little, and my grandparents were still alive, we used to go to the south of Germany or Austria later on during the festive season. So in my childhood we often had white Christmas, with loads of Christmas cookies. But somehow the Zimtsterne were always among my favourite. 

Those of you who follow along for a while, know that my grandpa started baking a lot after retiring. So when I grew older, we baked many Christmas Cookies together. Of course we also made Spitzbuben, Heidesand and Vanillekipferl here and there, but my favourite always were the Zimtsterne. So let me take you on a delicious journey, with cookies crisp on the outside and super soft on the inside, where the flavours of cinnamon and hearty almonds melt together. 

For around 40 cookies you'll need:

250g icing sugar

3 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

400g unpeeled ground almonds

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Preheat the oven to 120° (fan)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until stiff, then gradually whisk in the icing sugar. Remove two large table spoons of the beaten eggs and set aside for the coating later on. 

Now fold in the vanilla extract, cinnamon and around half the almonds. Add the rest of the almonds, then use your hands to bring together an even dough that is barely sticky. 

Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for one hour. 

Put the dough on a surface generously dusted with icing sugar, then roll the dough out to 1/2 cm sickness.

Cut out the stars with a cookie cutters, then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then spread some of the icing you set aside on the cookies. I used a silicon pencil but you can also use a knife or a spoon. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. 

Once the cookies are baked, put them onto a wire rack and let cool. 

Re-roll the excess dough and repeat the process until there's no dough left. 

The cookies remain moist, crispy yet soft if stored in cookie tins with lids for around two weeks. 

Are you planning on testing the recipe? Or have you already tried it?

Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)