Cinnamon Stars: Almonds & White Icing

Cinnamon stars, also called Zimtsterne, bring warm cinnamon, ground almonds and a white icing cap to the cookie plate. Under that sweet top sits a nutty cookie with a gently chewy center. Rolling and cutting the soft dough takes a little patience, but the parchment paper lends a hand. A slightly crooked point still makes a very good star.

Almonds give these stars their bite

Ground almonds form the body of the dough, with powdered sugar for sweetness and cinnamon for its warm, fragrant flavor. Lightly beaten egg whites bind the mixture; there is no wheat flour or butter in the listed dough ingredients. The small amount of salt rounds out the sweetness.

The white top is an egg-white icing or meringue, applied before baking. It gives the almonds a sweet, firmer covering. These are almond cookies with icing, so the dough itself does not need to become a bowl of fluffy meringue.

Cool dough is easier to cut

The recipe calls for 30–60 minutes of chilling. Keep the dough wrapped during that rest, then roll it between sheets of parchment as directed. This keeps the sticky almond mixture off your rolling pin without adding handfuls of extra dry ingredients. Aim for an even thickness across the sheet so the star points do not become much thinner than the centers.

Spread the icing over the cut stars with a light touch. Bake at the recipe’s 300°F (150°C) until the cookies and topping have set. The icing should stay pale, and a baked almond center can remain a little soft; a dark golden top is not the goal. Let the stars cool before judging their final texture or lifting them by their delicate points.

Save tasting for after baking: Both dough and icing contain raw egg white. Do not taste them raw; bake the icing with the cookies and clean your hands, utensils and work surface after handling the uncooked mixture.

A little cinnamon beside your coffee

Serve the cooled stars with a freshly made Espresso. Its concentrated coffee flavor gives you a change from the sweet almond cookies between bites. Arrange the stars in a single layer on a small plate so the pale tops and points stay intact.

For a varied cookie plate, add Shortbread Cookies. That butter-cookie version brings a milder flavor and lightly golden edges alongside the cinnamon and almonds.

Make the star shapes easier to handle

• Keep the cutter clean: Remove bits of dough from the points between cuts. If it still sticks, dip the cutting edge lightly in powdered sugar and tap off the excess.
• Support the whole cookie: Slide a thin spatula underneath when moving a cut star. Pulling a point can stretch or tear it.
• Spread from the middle: Guide the icing toward the points with the tip of a small spoon rather than pressing hard on the soft dough.

Optional citrus or a different outline

• For a little citrus brightness, try the optional lemon juice mentioned in the preparation. Keep it a small addition rather than treating juice as a replacement for the egg white.
• No star cutter? As an optional shape variation, use a small round cutter. Keep the cookies an even thickness and judge their bake by the same set topping and cooked center.

Let the icing cool before packing

Set out cutters, parchment and baking sheets before taking the chilled dough out, so you can work without long pauses. Let baked stars cool completely before storing them in a tightly closing container. Slip parchment between layers to protect the icing and points. Keep them separate from crisp cookies, which can take up moisture from the softer stars and lose their snap.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the dough stick to my rolling pin?
The almond, sugar and egg-white mixture is naturally sticky. Use the chilling time and roll between parchment sheets; adding lots of dry ingredients can change the dough’s balance.

Does the icing go on after baking?
No. In this recipe the egg-white icing goes onto the cut stars before they enter the oven and bakes with them.

Should I bake the stars until they are hard?
No. Aim for set, cooked cookies with pale icing. Their centers can remain slightly soft, and the final texture is easier to judge after cooling.

Are these cookies nut-free?
No. Ground almonds are a main ingredient, and egg white is used too. Keep those ingredients in mind when sharing a cookie plate.