If you’re looking for Christmas cookie ideas to add to your repertoire this holiday season, try zimtsterne! These German cinnamon star cookies are wonderfully nutty, cinnamony, and sweet, thanks to a snow-white meringue frosting. A hint of lemon brings everything together.
Zimtsterne are naturally gluten-free and have a delightful texture from natural almond meal. Plus, since there’s no wheat flour, re-kneading and re-rolling dough scraps is perfectly fine and won’t overwork the dough, so you can actually use up all the cookie dough! For more Christmas baking recipes, try my stollen, lebkuchen, and pfeffernusse.
What Are Zimtsterne?
Directly translated to “cinnamon stars” from German, zimtsterne are cookies made with meringue, natural almond meal, and cinnamon. Naturally gluten-free, these classic German Christmas cookies have a longer bake time at relatively low heat and are then left in the oven to cool with the door cracked so they dry out further. The end result is a cookie with a crisp and chewy texture, somewhat similar to French macarons, but a bit more dense.
The exact history of this cookie is a little unknown, but they originated in Germany centuries ago. Zimtsterne is mentioned in an 1844 German cookbook, Praktisches Kochbuch, which was later adapted for American bakers in 1879. Interestingly, authentic zimtsterne were often made in the shape of six-pointed stars. However, I used a five-pointed star-shaped cookie cutter, and you can use what you have on hand.
Ingredients
Egg whites — you’ll whip 2 large egg whites into a fluffy meringue, which forms the base of the cookies as well as the frosting.
Sugar — confectioners’ sugar (also called powdered sugar and icing sugar) adds sweetness to the zimtsterne cookies while also forming the glossy meringue.
Almonds — use natural almond flour made from almonds with the skins still on for the ideal depth of flavor and color.
Cinnamon — you simply cannot have zimtsterne without zimt, which is the German word for cinnamon!
Lemon — lemon zest and lemon juice add just a hint of citrus that beautifully complements the earthy warmth of the cinnamon.
Choosing The Right Almond Flour
For perfect zimtsterne, it is important to use natural almond flour, or almond meal, ground from almonds with the skins for the correct color and texture of these cookies.
This type of almond meal is slightly coarse in texture and brown in color because it contains the almond skins. Do not use blanched almond flour (made from par-cooked almonds with the skins removed), which is very pale and finer in texture. This kind of almond flour will result in paler cookies that are very dense and hard.
How To Make Zimtsterne
1. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment), whisk the 2 egg whites on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until soft peaks form.
2. Reduce the speed to medium-low and continue mixing. Gradually add 1¼ cups of powdered sugar.
3. When you’ve added all the sugar, scrape down the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the meringue mixture is thick and glossy. Set aside ½ cup of the mixture in a separate small bowl, as you’ll use this to ice the cookies later on.
4. In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup powdered sugar, ground almonds, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. Sprinkle the nut mixture into the large bowl (or stand mixer bowl) of egg white mixture and add the lemon juice, then fold to combine.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula or bowl scraper and knead with your hands to create a ball of dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Generously sprinkle your countertop with powdered sugar, as the dough can be quite sticky. Pat the cookie dough into a flat rectangular shape, then lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with more powdered sugar. Roll the dough with a rolling pin to be ¼-inch thick.
7. Cut cookies using a 2½-inch to 3-inch-wide star-shaped cutter. Place the star-shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Knead together any dough scraps, re-roll, and cut to make more stars. Do this until all the dough is used up.
8. Dollop ½ to 1 teaspoon of the reserved meringue onto the center of each cookie. Use a very small pastry brush or toothpick to spread the mixture over the cookies and to cover the points of the stars. Bake one sheet tray at a time at 250°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown and the meringue is dry but not turning too brown. (It should remain off-white.)
Turn off the oven and leave the oven door open about 6 inches for another 10 minutes so the cookies and frosting can continue to dry. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the other baking sheet. Serve and enjoy.
Can I Use Other Nuts?
Yes! Hazelnuts are a great option that is sometimes used instead of almonds in traditional recipes. You can buy natural hazelnut flour or finely grind your own by pulsing nuts with the skins on in a food processor until very fine. For hazelnut almond zimtsterne, use a mixture of hazelnut meal and almond meal.
Decorating The Cookies
The easiest way to decorate zimtsterne is to add a small dollop of frosting to the center of the cookies (about ½ to 1 teaspoon per cookie). Then, use a toothpick or small pastry brush to spread the frosting so it covers the points of the star. You can pipe the icing on with a piping bag or condiment bottle, but I found the other method to be much easier and doesn’t require any special tools.
While these cinnamon star cookies are beautiful as is, feel free to place slivered almonds on top of the cookies in a star shape for an elevated decoration!
How Long Do They Keep?
When stored correctly, these cookies will keep nicely for about 1 month, which makes them perfect gifts or additions to holiday cookie tins!
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Weigh the almond meal. Use a scale to accurately measure the amount of ground almonds needed for this recipe. If you don’t have one, fluff up the almond meal and spoon it into your measuring cup. Level off the top with a knife.
- For added spice, add up to ½ teaspoon of cardamom to the dry mixture in step 3.
- Use a flexible bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl after mixing. It’s sturdier than a silicone spatula and will clean the sticky dough off the sides of the bowl more efficiently.
- If the dough feels sticky, knead a little bit more powdered sugar into it to make it easier to work with. If it is still sticking to your work surface, you can roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper dusted with powdered sugar.
- This dough can be kneaded together and re-rolled multiple times. So continue to knead, roll, and cut out stars until all the dough is used up.
- Dip the star-shaped cookie cutter in powdered sugar between cuts. This will prevent it from sticking to the dough and will make it easy to remove the star shapes from the cutter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! While a star is the traditional shape of zimtsterne, you can definitely use different shapes. I recommend keeping the shape simple, so they’re easy to frost, and make sure the cookie cutter is less than 4 inches in overall size.
Store them in an airtight container (like a cookie tin) at room temperature in a cool, dry spot in your kitchen for up to 1 month. You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe container, with sheets of parchment paper between layers of cookies, for about 2 months.
Yes. Because they last for so long when stored properly, you can make them well in advance.
If you love this recipe try these out!
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Zimtsterne Recipe (German Cinnamon Stars)
Equipment
- 2½-inch to 3-inch wide star-shaped cutter
- 2 Large baking sheets
- Rolling Pin
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment or handheld electric mixer
- Small pastry or paintbrush, or toothipick
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites (80g)
- 1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar (210g), divided
- 2¾ cups ground almonds (290g)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment), whisk the egg whites on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until soft peaks form. While mixing on medium-low speed, gradually add 1¼ cups (150g) of powdered sugar.
- Once all of the sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, glossy and leaves a trail that holds its shape on the surface of the mixture for a few seconds when drizzled. Set aside ½ cup of this egg-white mixture in another small bowl (this will be used to ice the cookies later).
- In another medium bowl, mix to combine the remaining ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, ground almonds, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Sprinkle this mixture over the large bowl of egg white mixture and add the lemon juice. Fold to combine.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula or bowl scraper and knead with your hands to create a ball of dough. (If the dough is sticking to your hands or the bowl, lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar so that you can knead it into a cohesive ball.) Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Generously sprinkle a surface with powdered sugar. Pat the cookie dough into a flat rectangular shape, then lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with more powdered sugar. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to be ¼-inch thick.
- Cut cookies using a 2½-inch to 3-inch wide star-shaped cutter, dipping the cutter in powdered sugar between each cut. Place them on the prepared baking sheets leaving about 1-inch of space between each. Knead together any dough scraps, re-roll and cut. (You can continue to do this until all of the dough is used.)
- Dollop ½ to 1 teaspoon of the reserved egg white mixture onto the center of each cookie. Use a very small pastry brush or toothpick to spread the mixture and cover the points of the stars.
- Bake one sheet tray at a time for 25 to 30 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown and the meringue is dry but not turning brown. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door open about 6 inches for another 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the other baking sheet.
Notes
- Weigh the almond meal. Use a scale to accurately measure the amount of ground almonds needed for this recipe. If you don’t have one, fluff up the almond meal and spoon it into your measuring cup. Level off the top with a knife.
- For added spice, add up to ½ teaspoon of cardamom to the dry mixture in step 3.
- Use a flexible bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl after mixing. It’s sturdier than a silicone spatula and will clean the sticky dough off the sides of the bowl more efficiently.
- If the dough feels sticky, knead a little bit more powdered sugar into it to make it easier to work with. If it is still sticking to your work surface, you can roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper dusted with powdered sugar.
- This dough can be kneaded together and re-rolled multiple times. So continue to knead, roll, and cut out stars until all the dough is used up.
- Dip the star-shaped cookie cutter in powdered sugar between cuts. This will prevent it from sticking to the dough and will make it easy to remove the star shapes from the cutter.
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