Name: German Star Cookies
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 2 large egg whites; 1 tsp lemon juice, plus zest 1 lemon; 1 2/3 Cups or 200 g Powdered Sugar, plus extra for dusting; 2 2/3 Cups or 250 g ground almonds; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground ginger

German Star Cookies, also known as Zimtsterne Cinnamon Cookies are a wonderful cookie for Christmas. They're crisp, chewy and spiced with all things nice! Naturally Gluten - Free too!

German Star Cookies, also known as Zimtsterne Cinnamon Cookies are a wonderful cookie for Christmas. They're crisp, chewy and spiced with all things nice!

They're an easy cookie to make, however, they do take a little time because you need to chill the dough for 30 minutes and make the icing, however, the icing is worth all the extra effort and time! It really is quite lovely!

These cookies do not use flour, but ground almonds. This gives them the chewy texture, and of course is also perfect for those who are looking for naturally gluten-free cookies! So without further ado, let's look at the recipe and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

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7) German Star Cookies

8) Delicious Cookie Recipes

Prep Time

40 Minutes (Includes chill time)

Cook Time

15 Minutes

Serves

Approx 30

Ingredients

2 large egg whites
1 tsp lemon juice, plus zest 1 lemon
1 ⅔ Cups or 200 g Powdered Sugar, plus extra for dusting
2 ⅔ Cups or 250 g ground almonds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

1. Place the egg whites in a large bowl whisk until foamy. Add the lemon juice and continue to whisk until soft peaks.

2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, whilst still whisking until the meringue is stiff.

3. In a bowl, scoop out about ¼ of the mixture and set aside. (This is for the icing top)

4. Add the almonds, cinnamon, ginger and lemon zest to the meringue mixture in the machine and mix until a stiff dough forms. The dough will be a little sticky so remove from the mixer and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

6. When chill time is up, take the dough from the fridge and place a piece of parchment on the work top. Dust lightly with powdered sugar (DO NOT USE FLOUR!) and again, dust the top of the dough with sugar. Then place another sheet of parchment on top of the dough and roll out to about ¼ inch thick.

7. Use your star-shaped cookie cutter (approx 5 cm or 2 inch size) and cut out as many cookies as you can. Then transfer them to the baking sheet.

8. Take the meringue mixture previously set aside and spread this over the tops of each cookie. If it has stiffened too much for spreading, add a drop of milk. The consistency should be like thick yogurt.

9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the meringue (the tops) are set but still white in colour.

10. Remove carefully from the cookie sheet, (they will be a little soft). Allow to cool on a rack before storing in an air tight container. These will keep nicely for up to 2 weeks.

TIPS:
If you find the cookie dough is too sticky, add some extra ground almonds, or pop back in the fridge for a little longer. Don't use flour for Zimtsterne cookies! Always almonds!
Keep your cookie cutters wet, use a bowl with some water in, wet and clean the cookie cutter so it is easier to cut the stars.

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our German Star Cookies recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

German Star Cookies

Yield: 30

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

German Star Cookies, also known as Zimtsterne Cinnamon Cookies are a wonderful cookie for Christmas. They're crisp, chewy, and spiced with all things nice! Naturally Gluten - Free too!

Ingredients

2 large egg whites
1 tsp lemon juice, plus zest 1 lemon
1 ⅔ Cups or 200 g Powdered Sugar, plus extra for dusting
2 ⅔ Cups or 250 g ground almonds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

Place the egg whites in a large bowl whisk until foamy. Add the lemon juice and continue to whisk until soft peaks.
Slowly add the powdered sugar, whilst still whisking until the meringue is stiff.
In a bowl, scoop out about ¼ of the mixture and set aside. (This is for the icing top)
Add the almonds, cinnamon, ginger and lemon zest to the meringue mixture in the machine and mix until a stiff dough forms. The dough will be a little sticky so remove from the mixer and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300 F or 150C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
When chill time is up, take the dough from the fridge and place a piece of parchment on the work top. Dust lightly with powdered sugar (DO NOT USE FLOUR!) and again, dust the top of the dough with sugar. Then place another sheet of parchment on top of the dough and roll out to about ¼ inch thick.
Use your star shaped cookie cutter (approx 5 cm or 2 inch size) and cut out as many cookies as you can. Then transfer them to the baking sheet.
Take the meringue mixture previously set aside and spread this over the tops of each cookie. If it has stiffened too much for spreading, add a drop of milk. The consistency should be like thick yogurt.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the meringue (the tops) are set but still white in colour.
Remove carefully from the cookie sheet, (they will be a little soft). Allow to cool on a rack before storing in an air tight container. These will keep nicely for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

!TIPS: !If you find the cookie dough is too sticky, add some extra ground almonds, or pop back in the fridge for a little longer. Don't use flour for Zimtsterne cookies! Always almonds! !Keep your cookie cutters wet, use a bowl with some water in, wet and clean the cookie cutter so it is easier to cut the stars.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 78Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate

Delicious Cookie Recipes

Here's a selection of our very best cookie recipes and so popular around the holiday season.

Share your thoughts

4 thoughts shared

Amy Holden
says:
December 19th, 2021 at 3:22 am

Hello! I like your German Star cookie recipe; made it a few times. The icing on top is not neat & flat.. you can see swipes or whatnot. Any suggestions to get it beautifully even like in your pictures? Maybe thin it out a bit?

mya
says:
December 8th, 2016 at 5:40 pm

is grounded almonds the same as almond flour?

1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  December 8th, 2016 at 8:07 pm
  
  Hi Mya, no, ground almonds are purely almonds ground to a courser texture than flour and has nothing added. You can fond them in the same section as the dried fruits, chopped nuts etc, usually in the baking section.
  
  1. Mya
    says:
    December 9th, 2016 at 1:06 am
    
    Thanks a bunch for getting back to me.