Zimtsterne - German cinnamon cookies appear in Germany around the time of Advent. Deliciously moist, and bursting with cinnamon and almond flavors, these are one of the most popular German Christmas cookies. As these treats are made without flour they are also naturally gluten-free!
What are Zimtsterne?
Zimtsterne are a classic German Christmas cookie that are made of egg whites, sugar, ground almonds (affiliate link), and cinnamon. These iconic star-shaped cookies are very popular for a reason. They have an exquisite taste of cinnamon, are deliciously moist, and look impressive.
How to make German Cinnamon Star Cookies
These cookies are not difficult to bake, although they have the reputation of being tricky to make. But, with my tips, I will show you how to make these authentic German star cookies so they will taste just like from a German bakery.
To make the perfect cinnamon stars you need to ensure that you follow the instructions and don't take shortcuts. The important factors are: resting time, baking temperature, and time.
Ingredients
To find the exact amounts please jump to the printable recipe card
- egg whites
- ground almonds (affiliate link)
- ground cinnamon (affiliate link)
- vanilla extract (affiliate link)
- powdered sugar
- orange zest
- salt
Zimtsterne Recipe Steps:
- Using an electric hand or stand mixer, whisk the egg whites, salt, and sugar with a paddle attachment until stiff.
- Remove about ⅓ of the stiff egg whites, place them in a separate bowl, and set them aside. (You will need them to decorate the cinnamon stars later.)
- Add the orange zest, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, and almonds to the egg white and knead to a homogenous dough with your hands.
- Cover the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least two hours. (you can also leave it to rest overnight. This will allow for the cinnamon aroma to develop.)
- After this, preheat your oven to 160 degrees top-to-bottom heat. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Cover your rolling pin (affiliate link) with cling film or icing sugar (as this should help to keep the dough from sticking to it) Cover your work surface with icing sugar or alternatively use a non-stick silicon mat.
- Roll out the dough to approximately 1 cm in thickness. Cut out the stars using a star-shaped cookie cutter and place them carefully onto the baking trays. To prevent the dough from sticking to your cookie cutter, intermittently dunk your cutter in a bowl of icing sugar.
- To decorate the cinnamon stars, use the stiff egg white mass you set aside. You have two options for how to apply the egg whites: either brush them with a pastry brush (affiliate link) on the cookies or (my preference) apply them with an icing bag. First, follow the contours, then fill out the middle. This will give you a more precise icing - and they will look just like in the bakeries in Germany.
- Bake them in the oven for between 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them - they should stay white and soft.
Tips for the BEST Cinnamon Star Cookies
- Depending on the size of the eggs you use, your dough might become too moist. If that is the case just add a bit more ground almond.
- The dough sticks to the rolling pin (affiliate link). To prevent this place a sheet of cling film over the dough before rolling it. For your baking surface, I always recommend a non-stick silicon baking mat (affiliate link).
- The dough sticks to the cookie cutter. Clean the cookie cutter with some water and then dust it with icing sugar to prevent it from sticking.
Serving Suggestions
If you visit a house during Advent in Germany, it is likely that they will offer you a plate of Christmas Cookies. These are stored in tins until guests arrive.
They will probably offer you a cup of coffee to enjoy your cookies with. In the evening is not uncommon to serve these cookies with a glass of mulled wine.
Storage Information
In Germany, we store them in biscuit tins. Make sure you store them in an airtight container and at room temperature. If you want to store different types of cookies in the same tin, it is best to separate them with sheets of baking parchment. This will prevent the flavors from mixing.
If your cookies get too hard, simply place a couple of slices of apple pieces in the tin. This should soften them.
These cookies freeze well. Freeze in an airtight container and let them defrost at room temperature. This way they can be stored for at least three months.
More German Christmas Cookies:
Recipe
Zimtsterne - German Cinnamon Stars
Equipment
- silicon baking mat handy tool to prevent dough from sticking to the work surface
- Rolling Pin Guides super helpful to ensure that your cookies have an even thickness which ensures they bake through evenly.
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites at room temperature, see post how to use up the egg yolks
- 2 ½ cups (250 g) powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 cups (350 g) ground almonds (with their skin on)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Also
Instructions
- Using an electric hand or stand mixer, whisk the egg whites, salt, and sugar with a paddle attachment until stiff.3 egg whites , 1 pinch salt, 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Remove about ⅓ of the stiff egg white, place into a separate bowl, and set aside. (you will need it to decorate the cinnamon stars later).
- Add the orange zest, vanilla extract (affiliate link), cinnamon, and almonds to the egg white and knead to a homogenous dough with your hands.3 cups ground almonds (affiliate link) , 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (affiliate link) , 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (affiliate link)
- Cover the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the first for at least two hours. You can also leave it to rest overnight. This will allow for the cinnamon aroma to develop.
- Cover the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the first for at least two hours. (you can also leave it to rest overnight. This will allow for the cinnamon aroma to develop.)
- The next day, preheat your offer to 160°C / 320°F-line two baking trays with baking parchment. Cover your rolling pin (affiliate link) in cling film or powdered sugar. (this should help prevent the dough from sticking.) Cover your work surface with powdered sugar or use a non-stick silicon mat.
- Roll out the dough to approximately 1 cm/ ½ inch thickness. Cut out the stars using a star-shaped cookie cutter and place them carefully onto the baking trays. -To prevent the dough from sticking to your cookie cutter - intermittently dunk your cutter in a bowl of powdered sugar.
- Bake them in the oven for between 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them- they should stay white and soft.
- To decorate the cinnamon stars, use the stiff egg white mass you set aside. You have two options for applying the egg whites. Brush them with a pastry brush (affiliate link) on the cookies. My preferred method is using an icing bag. First, follow the contours, then fill in the middle. This will give you a more precise icing, and they will look just like the bakeries in Germany.
- Bake them in the oven for between 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them - they should stay white and soft.
Grace says
Can egg whites from the carton be used or will it only work with fresh egg whites?
Cathy Dolatowski says
In your recipe, you call for vanilla but you have no measure for it. would love to make these but need to know how much vanilla in. Also it would be so nice if you could put measurements in English this calls for 250 cups of ground almonds. is this correct?.
Marita Sinden says
Hi Cathy, thanks for checking - yes these were incorrect. I have updated the recipe. THanks for letting me know. Marita