Among the most popular and beloved traditional German Christmas cookies, the holidays simply aren’t the same without Zimtsterne! Wonderfully fragrant and flavorful with a fabulous texture, this authentic Zimtsterne recipe will guide you through step-by-step to ensure your success in creating these delicious German cinnamon star cookies!
It’s that time of year to roll up your sleeves and get ready to fill your kitchen and home with the aroma of Christmas baking! And there’s no better place to start than this traditional Zimtsterne recipe!
The smell of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel seed and star anise are what remind me most of Christmas because they are the smells, along with staple ingredients like nuts and butter, that I grew up with in my home of southern Germany. And those traditional German baked goodies are the ones I’m forever biased towards come Christmastime.
Today I have another traditional German cookie to add to your repertoire of holiday baking: Zimtsterne. Have you tried these before? You can find them in any grocery store and Christmas market throughout Germany as well as in Austria and Switzerland. Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without them and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And of course, as with most things, homemade is the best. This traditional Zimtsterne recipe is the one I grew up and is how my Oma and Mutti made them!
What Are Zimtsterne?
Zimtsterne, or “cinnamon stars” in English, are traditional German cookies flavored with cinnamon and made almost entirely of ground nuts – traditionally almonds but also commonly combined with hazelnuts. A southern German specialty, they are naturally gluten free and dairy free and feature a snowy white hard frosting made from sugar and egg white.
An ingredient this recipe calls for that you may not be familiar with is Vanillezucker (vanilla sugar). It’s commonly called for in a lot of German recipes. Why it’s so uncommon outside of Europe I’ll never understand; sometimes in baking you need that touch of vanilla flavor without adding any liquid (i.e. vanilla extract). That’s where vanilla sugar comes in.
You can easily make your own and a great cost-saving way to do that is to use the discarded vanilla beans of homemade Vanilla Extract, but it’s much more convenient to have these packets on hand.
Other than that, these cookies call for just a small handful of ingredients, but I promise you, they really pack a wonderful flavor and texture. Zimtsterne are one of the most popular and beloved of all German Christmas cookies. And once you’ve tried them you’ll see why.
Happy baking and may you enjoy this Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Zimtsterne Recipe
Let’s get started!
Beat the egg whites until peaks form (be careful not to over-beat or the frosting won’t turn out right). Sift the powdered sugar into the egg whites and use a spoon to stir just until combined.
Reserve 2 heaping tablespoons of the egg mixture in a small bowl for the frosting.
Add the nuts, cinnamon and vanilla sugar. Mix until combined and everything comes together in a fairly stiff but pliable mass. If it’s too soft or sticky to work with add a little more nut meal and powdered sugar.
Press the dough onto a non-stick surface (you can sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar but I still prefer to spread the dough out onto either plastic wrap or a non-stick cookie sheet to prevent sticking). Press/roll it to a thickness of about a 1/3 inch.
Use a 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter and cut stars out of the dough. Knead the scraps back into a ball, roll it out again and cut more stars.
Preheat the oven to 250 F. Transfer the cookies to a non-stick or lined cookie sheet.
Place a little of the egg white mixture on each cookie and use a toothpick or a pastry brush to smooth all the way to the edges. Alternatively you can use a pastry bag or condiment bottle to apply the egg white mixture.
Place the sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the Zimtsterne for 30 minutes. Then open the oven door just a crack and let the cookies sit for another 10-15 minutes to further dry out.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
Let them cool completely.
Store the Zimtsterne in an airtight container in a cool place.
They will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Enjoy!
For me traditional German and Austrian Christmas goodies be sure to try our:
- Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
- Pfeffernüsse (German Iced Spiced Cookies)
- Lebkuchen (Nürnberger Elisenlebkuchen)
- Stollen (German Christmas Bread)
- Springerle (German Embossed Cookies)
- Printen (Aachener Gingerbread)
- Speculoos (Gingerbread Shortcrust Cookies)
- Bethmännchen (Marzipan Cookies)
- Heidesand (Browned Butter Shortbread Cookies)
- Marzipan (or Almond Paste)
Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Stars)
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 cups powdered/confectioner sugar
- 3 1/4 cup non-blanched almond meal
- or hazelnut meal
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 packet Vanillezucker (recommended but if you can't get it simply omit **one packet has 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla sugar)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250º F (120º C) (do not turn on the fan, it can cause the egg white topping to brown before the cookies are done). Place the rack on the bottom rung of the oven.
- Beat the egg whites in a medium-sized bowl until soft peaks form (be careful not to over-beat the egg whites or the frosting/glaze won't turn out correctly). Sift the powdered sugar and stir it into the egg whites until combined. Reserve 2/3 cup of the egg white mixture to glaze the cookies.
- Add the nuts, cinnamon, vanilla sugar and salt and mix until the dough comes together in a fairly stiff but pliable mass. If it's too soft or sticky to work with add a little more nut meal and powdered sugar.
- Press/roll the dough onto a non-stick surface sprinkled with powdered sugar to a thickness of about 1/3 inch. Use a 3-inch star cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and transfer them to a lined or non-stick cookie sheet. Form the scraps of dough into a ball, roll it out again and cut cookies out of the remaining dough.Place a little of the egg white mixture on each cookie and use a toothpick or a pastry brush to smooth all the way to the edges. Alternatively you can use a pastry bag or condiment bottle to apply the egg white mixture. Place the sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the Zimtsterne for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door just a crack and let the cookies sit for another 10-15 minutes to further dry out. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in a dry, airtight container in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet November 28, 2016
Teryl says
Zimtsterne are some of my favorite cookies and they turned out DELICIOUS! Fantastic flavor and texture, thank you!
Linda Shukri says
Hi Kimberly,
I was just reading through your post again about the German cookies and saw your comment about American manufacturers not making vanilla sugar. Penzeys spices has vanilla sugar. I’ve purchase some years ago. You can find them online plus they have brick and mortar stores throughout the US. Penzeys.com :-) They have great quality spices.
Linda
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Linda, that’s great to know, thanks for the tip!
Olga says
Hi Kimberly,
just wanted to check whether it’s ok to use almond or hazelnut meal from the supermarket? Or do I need to ground the nuts myself to have bigger “bits”?
Thanks,
Olga
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Olga, yes the store-bought almond and hazelnut meal are perfect and that’s what I use. You want finely ground meal for this, not bigger bits. I generally recommend store-bought over grinding it yourself because the bought stuff is properly dried out. In grinding it yourself there’s a very high oil content in the ground nuts that can throw off the recipe. So unless you have the time to properly dry your own ground nuts, store-bought is the best way to go. Happy baking!
Dominique says
Hi there,
I just tried to make your recipe, and was really disappointed at how runny the mixture was. I looked at various other recipes to compare, and noticed that most suggest using 2 egg whites instead of 3.
Hope they still taste great – they’re still in the oven!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dominique – runny? I’m assuming the dough must have been stiff enough for you to cut out stars if they’re baking in the oven?
Dominique says
I had to add a lot of flour to stiffen the dough, so not sure how they’ll taste.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
No one else has reported having had that issue and it is very odd. As long as by “flour” you mean you added more almond meal, that should be just fine.
Katherine Thorne says
DELICIOUS! I haven’t had these in years and have only ever had the store bought ones. There are only two cookies left from the batch and I’m getting ready to make another :) Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Katherine, thank you!
susan elliott says
I wonder if these cookies are moist and chewy inside or crisp?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Susan, they’re chewy – not at all hard or crisp.
Mark Rogers says
Would the ground almonds be the same as Bobs Red Mill Almound Flour?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, Mark, exactly. Finely ground almonds and almond meal are identical.
Cori Landon says
I made these yesterday and they turned out absolutely scrumptious! It’s been years since I visited Germany and tried the packaged, storebought Zimtsterne but I remember them like it was yesterday and these taste even better. Thank you so much for sharing this, it will now be a traditional part of my Christmas baking repertoire! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s terrific, Cori, I’m so happy to hear that – thank you!
Chrus says
Complete disaster making these. Was not enough frosting in the reserved two tablespoons and as with a previous commenter, it turned brown after ten minutes. Oven on 150C fan. Biscuit dough was much lighter too, so overall… Bad day at the office.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chrus, I’m sorry to hear it was a disaster. The “frosting” is applied with a pastry brush, so more of a glaze, and just enough so there’s enough for all the cookies. I’ll add a note in the recipe to emphasize that – it’s not smeared on in a thick layer like American frosted cookies. It’s a thin layer that hardens when baked. The biscuit dough is not supposed to darken. The glaze turning brown after 10 minutes is baffling to me. Did you have the rack positioned on the very bottom of the oven?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I just read something and think I know what the problem is: It’s the fan. I just read in a forum that if you have the fan on (I never use it) it will turn the egg white brown before the cookies are ready. So the rack should be on the bottom of the oven and no fan. I’m going to add that note to the recipe as well in case anyone else uses the fan.
Chris says
I couldn’t even get my name right either! It’s Chris. Interesting about the fan, I’ll definitely have another go, if it wasn’t my mistake. And by brown, I meant the dough itself before cooking, mine was a lot lighter. Don’t get me wrong though, the finished product was more like a macaron with a chewy crispy frosting so from a taste perspective they were fantastic, just not the cookie I was hoping for. I only lightly smeared the frosting too, like in the photos, I just must not have reserved enough. Thanks for your quick reply and potential fix!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I figured it was probably a typo (“Chrus”) but you never know, so I didn’t want to make any assumptions! :) I hope it works out better the next time. I’m not sure if you’ve had Zimtsterne before, I’m assuming you probably have, but their texture is unlike any typical flour-based cookie. They’re quite dense and crumbly-chewy.
Chris not Chrus says
I have had store-bought and from the German Christmas markets in Manchester near me so I know what they are supposed to be like. Will try again soon. Meanwhile I have a batch of Pfeffernuesse dough in the fridge ☺️
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Chris not Chrus! :) I’m crossing my fingers your Pfeffernüsse turn out. I just made another batch and we’ve been enjoying those. I also just made some Mandel-Marzipanhörnchen which I’ll be posting here soon. Greetings to Manchester! I lived for 7 years just outside Peterborough and my husband spent a few months in Manchester, which I’ve also visited many times. We are both very homesick for England and are hoping to take our kids there next year.
Chris says
Excellent. Unfortunately we don’t get the lovely crisp cold Bavarian weather that really makes it Christmassy when you visit Germany; it’s just rainy! I was fortunate to be in Munich every December for 8 years with work. Loved it. Will look out for your new recipe, sounds intriguing. BTW, it was me who made your Coconut Chicken Balti last year for Christmas dinner 😁 Doing something similar this time too! Thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Oh yes, I remember! Hey, it has all the Christmas colors, doesn’t it? Red tomatoes, green cilantro, white coconut :) We all voted for something German for this Christmas so we’re making Sauerbraten and homemade Semmelknödel. Rain, yes. Living in the greater Seattle area now I can relate!
I’m also terribly homesick for Germany (Europe at large really), especially during the Christmas season, but we had such a particularly wonderful 7 years in England and we miss it greatly. In terms of the most beautiful area of Germany, Bavaria is it and that’s wonderful that you were able to travel there so frequently. It’s hands down my favorite area of the country. Merry Christmas!
Claire says
The exact same thing happened to me. I don’t have a fan to turn off, so I don’t know what’s up. Mine are also extremely pale with a “tannish” icing. I’m not sure how to solve that. I believe they taste how they’re supposed to as they’re a meringue so they’re a bit chewy, and the icing doesn’t taste burnt, they’re just pretty hideous. Close your eyes while eating?
Katie says
Grretings again from Norway! Love that you have posted this recipe- I have been making Zimtsterne using an old German recipe, but I’m thinking about trying yours this year as I’ve always experienced the biscuits being undercooked owing to having to take them out the oven in time before the white icing takes on any colour. Did you have the same problem here? Also, do you recommend leaving the biscuits to ‘dry’ overnight/24 hours before baking, which is how I typically make them? Thanks!
P.S. I made your lebkuchen spice mix last night, and will be making the pfeffernüsse and elisenlebkuchen this weekend. I have a great German cookbook called ‘Ich helf’ dir kochen’, but now your blog has become my go-to for Weihnachtsplätzchen!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Katie, it’s great to hear from you again and thank you! :) The biscuits being undercooked – what are you basing that on? Do they fall apart? The egg white in the cookies cooks very quickly so it’s not very likely that they’re actually undercooked. Drying the biscuits before baking them: I’ve heard of that but haven’t tried it. I’m not sure what the advantage would be but perhaps it yields a better texture? I’m not sure. Have you tried it both ways and compared?
Maggie says
Love your recipes, ideas etc especially the German ones. Will try to make Zimt Stars using your recipe, although Zimtsterne has been the most difficult cookie recipe I have tried. Everyone else seems to produce pastry that looks easy to cut and handle. Mine sadly is somehow too wet or falls apart when I try to make stars. Consequently I end up buying them. Thanks for your great recipes ^ – ^ :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Maggie :) If the cookie dough seems too wet to handle or cut, just add some extra nuts and powdered sugar to it until it’s more manageable. Just watch, this will be your lucky year for making Zimtsterne :) Happy baking and let us know how it goes!
Lauretta Simpson says
Hi Kimberly, I taught school with your mother in law at Val Vista Lakes in Gilbert. I have been following your blog & just made the French lentil soup for dinner. It was easy, fast, & delicious! Keep up the good work!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lauretta, I’m so thrilled to “meet” you and to know that you’ve been following my blog! I just made that French lentil soup again two weeks ago for a family get-together, we love it too. Thanks so much and I look forward to seeing you around :)
Alejandra says
I’m soooooo happy you share this recipe!! I was looking for it a year ago and wrote you about it, so thank you so much for having this one in mind!! Will get ready to bake a batch on the weekend. Regards from Guatemala <3
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Alejandra! Happy baking and Christmas greetings to Guatemala!
Krista says
I love these! The was you layered them is perfect for a great gift!
Cathy @ Noble Pig says
These are absolutely gorgeous!!