Traditional German Cinnamon Stars with Video

Die allerbesten und einfachsten Zimtsterne

These are the easiest and simplest cinnamon stars! I know, I am posting this recipe pretty late, you probably are all done with your Christmas baking. The reason I am doing this, is because I posted an Instagram story with several tips for making these. You all asked which recipe I was using and why the recipe is not on my blog yet. For that reason I decided to post this traditional German Christmas cookie: cinnamon stars! The recipe is completely gluten-free and only contains a few ingredients. The dough can be a bit finicky, my German bakers know what I am talking about. Below you will find several tips how to make them and for the recipe to turn out great.

Die allerbesten und einfachsten ZimtsterneI got the recipe from a reader a few years back. If you would like to talk about baking, have a wonderful recipe to share or a question, feel free to contact me at info at jennyisbaking dot com. I have tried different recipes since then, but I have to say, this is my personal favorite, the taste and feel to it, but also the fact that this one is quicker than other ones I have tried.

Die allerbesten und einfachsten ZimtsterneThese are my personal tips for the cinnamon stars to turn out great:

  • You don’t need to beat the egg white for the dough. Many recipes call for this. I honestly never knew why. Beating the egg white means producing an airy consistency, however, since we are going to roll out the dough, it will be pressed down regardless, so all the air will come out again. For that reason just go with mixing the unbeaten egg white with the rest. I tried both and have not found any difference.
  • Roll out the dough between plastic wrap or parchment paper. It will be a bit sticky and this way is the easiest. At least I have always managed to cut out stars. The dough does not need to be chilled either, which also means saving some time.
  • For the glaze it is best to beat the egg white with the icing sugar with a mixer. Previously I just mixed it by hand, but this does not produce the same result. Beat it for a few minutes until it looks and feels like toothpaste. You may need to add further icing sugar for the right consistency, but then it should not be a problem at all.
  • Brush the prepared stars with the glaze prior baking. You can either use a piping bag with a large piping tip or do this with a spoon. This way you don’t have to wait afterwards for the glaze to dry and can immediately eat them or give away as a gift.
  • It suffices to bake the cookies for 12 minutes. The glaze should not turn yellow and the cookies still be a bit soft. They will harden anyway later on.

I hope you will have a lot of fun making this traditional German Christmas cookie!

Credit: Chili und Ciabatta (in German)

Traditional German Cinnamon Stars

Serves: 24-28, depending on size
Prep Time: 45min Cooking Time: 12-15min Total Time: 1 hr

Traditional German cinnamon stars are a gluten free cookie with ground almonds and lots of cinnamon.

Ingredients

  • Cinnamon Stars
  • 250 grams of ground almonds
  • 150 grams of icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (you may want a bit more)
  • Optional: A dash of alcohol such as rum or Amaretto
  • 35 grams of egg white (about one)

  • Glaze
  • 1 egg white
  • 100-150 grams of icing sugar

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2

Combine all ingredients except for the egg white and mix properly. Then add egg white and mix again. Press the dough between parchment paper or cling wrap and roll out this way. Cut out stars and place on prepared baking sheets. Since these cookies will not spread, you can put them close to each other. Repeat until no dough is left (I usually get around two baking sheets).

3

For the glaze beat the egg white with the icing sugar for a few minutes. It should start looking like toothpaste and have a similar consistency. If needed, add further icing sugar. Either pipe onto the cookies or use a spoon to spread it onto the stars. This will take a bit of time.

4

Bake stars for about 12-15 minutes, the glaze should not turn too yellow and the cookies still remain soft. The stars will continue drying afterwards. If kept in an airtight container these cinnamon stars will keep for a few weeks.

Notes

No idea what to do with the leftover egg yolks? Check out see this blog post including how to freeze them properly.

Die allerbesten und einfachsten Zimtsterne

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Lissy
    Tuesday December 29th, 2020 at 10:04 PM

    Das ist das 1. Mal, dass ich Zimtsterne backe und sie waren köstlich! Das Rezept ist perfekt!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      Tuesday December 29th, 2020 at 11:04 PM

      Juchhei! Wenn du magst, kannst du noch eine Sternebewertung hinterlassen.

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