Cinnamon stars, also called Zimtsterne, are a gluten-free delicacy from the German region with a texture deliciously reminiscent of macaroons.
This cookie is particularly popular in the Advent season and delights both old and young.
As a variation of the traditional star shape, we have created cinnamon stars in the form of a tree.
You can use the yolks left over from this recipe to make delicious Linzer cookies with egg liqueur!
🥘 Ingredients
- Egg white
- Vanilla sugar - homemade or store bought
- Confectioner's sugar
- Ground almonds
- Cinnamon
- Sugar - for dusting the work surface
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1
First of all, separate the eggs into two separate bowls.
Either freeze the leftover yolks to use them up later or keep them in the refrigerator for up to one day. This way, you can prepare other delicacies with them!
Preheat the oven to 302 °F (150 °C) top and bottom heat.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla sugar. Gradually sprinkle in the confectioners sugar and beat until stiff.
Take four tablespoons of the stiffly beaten mixture and put it in the fridge. You will need it to coat the cookies.
Step 2
With the help of a wooden spoon, fold the grated almonds and the cinnamon into the beaten egg mixture and knead the cookie dough again briefly with your hands.
Add cinnamon to the mixture.
Combine everything with the help of a wooden spoon.
We recommend wearing gloves here if you don't want the sticky mixture on your hands.
Step 3
Now cover two baking sheets with baking paper and set them aside. Sprinkle some icing sugar on the work surface and roll out the sticky dough (approx. 5 mm // 0.2 inch).
Place the dough on top of the icing sugar covered working surface.
Cut out the cookies with a tree shaped cookie cutter.
Now, little by little, cut out little fir trees (or if you decide to go for the stars, stars) and lift them onto the prepared baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Cutting out those little cuties is a very sticky endeavor, so we recommend keeping the gloves.
To make cutting easier, regularly dip the cookie cutter in cold water before cutting. This water coating will prevent the dough from sticking.
Step 4
Knead the dough left over from cutting with two tablespoons of grated almonds and roll it out again to cut out the remaining cookies.
Now you need the whipped egg whites from before. Brush it thinly on the cutout cookies before you put the tray on the middle rack in the oven.
Brush the cut-out trees with the sugar egg white mixture.
Let them cool after baking.
Bake for about 20 minutes and repeat with the remaining cinnamon stars.
Don't be put off by the consistency of the cinnamon fir trees. They will still be a bit sticky after the baking time is up and will harden as they cool. This "slow consolidation" after baking gives them their distinctive texture!
Let the baked cookies cool on the baking sheet, and once cooled, store them in an airtight container lined with parchment paper or a cookie tin that seals tightly.
Enjoy those little delicacies with a lovely homemade beverage like a hot chocolate with rum, a delicious caramel milk or a yummy snowball cocktail!
Happy baking!
Check out these cute gingerbread man cookies or these gluten free peanut butter cookies to boost your Christmas mood!
🍽 Equipment
- Baking tray
- Baking paper
- Cookie cutter - Christmas tree shape or the classic star cookie cutter
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling pin
- Wooden spoon
- Electric mixer
🌡 Storage
Zimtsterne will keep in an airtight cookie jar for about a month if they have not already been nibbled before.
💭 Top tip
To prevent the beautiful white egg white sugar glaze from getting too dark during baking, we recommend placing an empty baking sheet on the rack above the cookies.
Place this "shield" as soon as the icing starts to color. This extra baking sheet will slightly block the top heat, leaving the glaze in its beautiful light color that reminds you of snow!
🙋🏻 FAQ
Although most varieties of Plätzchen appeared in the 19th century to decorate the Christmas tree, cinnamon stars were not originally associated with Christmas and date back to the 16th century at the latest. There are mentions that in 1536 the Emperor of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was served "delicious" cinnamon stars when visiting Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio. Cinnamon in those days was an extremely expensive spice: in 1530 the Augsburg merchant Anton Fugger decided to demonstrate his wealth to the emperor by burning Charles V's promissory notes on a fire made of cinnamon sticks.
Source: Wikipedia
More gorgeous cookie recipes for you to try:
If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. This would be awesome! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and hashtag #combinegoodflavors, so I don't miss it.
📖 Recipe
Zimtsterne - Cinnamon Cookies
Equipment
- 2 Baking tray
- 2 Baking Paper
- 1 Tree shaped Cookie-cutter or the classic star cookie cutter
- Rolling Pin
- Wooden spoon
- Instructions
Ingredients
- 3 Egg white
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla sugar
- 2 ¼ cups Confectioners sugar
- 3 ¼ g Ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- Icing sugar for dusting the work surface
Instructions
- First of all, separate the eggs into two separate bowls.
- Preheat the oven to 302 °F (150 °C) top and bottom heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla sugar. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar and beat until stiff.3 Egg white, 2 teaspoon Vanilla sugar, 2 ¼ cups Confectioners sugar
- Take four tablespoons of the stiffly beaten mixture and put it in the fridge. You will need it to coat the cookies.
- With the help of a wooden spoon, fold the grated almonds and the cinnamon into the beaten egg mixture and knead the cookie dough again briefly with your hands.3 ¼ g Ground almonds, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- Now cover two baking sheets with baking paper and set them aside.
- Sprinkle some icing sugar on the work surface and roll out the sticky dough (approx. 5 mm // 0.2 inch).Icing sugar for dusting the work surface
- Now, little by little, cut out little fir trees (or if you decide to go for the stars, stars) and lift them onto the prepared baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- To make cutting easier, regularly dip the cookie cutter in cold water before cutting. This water coating will prevent the dough from sticking.
- Knead the dough left over from cutting with two tablespoons of grated almonds and roll it out again to cut out the remaining cookies.
- Brush the leftover whipped egg white thinly on the cutout cookies before you put the tray on the middle rack in the oven.
- Bake for about 20 minutes and repeat with the remaining cinnamon stars.
- Let the baked cookies cool on the baking sheet, and once cooled, store them in an airtight container lined with parchment paper or a cookie tin that seals tightly.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
🎄 Craving more European Christmas cookies?
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling - FDA.
megane says
Looooooved these! Simple, sweet and delicious!
Nora says
Thank you, Megane! I am so glad you loved them!
Juliette says
Oh these are wonderful 🙂! I’ve not seen the before, being made with ground almonds is right up my street and they’re so pretty. Proper home made cinnamon cookies.
Nora says
Thank you so much, Juliette! I am so happy you like them!
Nora says
Thank you so much, Juliette! I am happy you like them!
Jean says
These turned out soooo cute. I did make one addition: I colored the frosting green with plant-based food coloring gel. Kids loved them.
Nora says
Thank you, Jean! I love the idea with the green coloring!