Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Stars)
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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)
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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 almond meal, 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
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Hello! Thanks for sharing the recipe and steps. Taste wonderful! Hold their shape after the cooking, but is there any tricks for the icing not to change color? The cookies are perfect except for the icing being ”orangee” instead of white so esthetic is not what I would like for sharing with others…
Hi Sonia, I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thank you! The key is to bake them at low temp (300 F), on the bottom rack so that the white glaze doesn’t brown, and to not use the oven fan which accelerates browning. Another trick you can try is to place an empty baking sheet on the top rack of the oven.
I tried all these tricks and they still turned brown. Could it because I need to put a thicker layer of egg white/icing sugar mixture?
They still taste awesome. Reminds me of getting a gift box of baking from Oma (Germany to Canada) 😊
Karen, is the fan in your oven on or off (i.e., are you using conventional or convection)?
One final thing you can try is to bake the cookies without the glaze first, then brush on the glaze, and bake for a couple more minutes until the glaze is set.
You must bake the cookie first, then take them out to cool on the baking sheet when done the brush on the egg white glaze and put them back in the oven for an additional 5 or so min.
I am wondering if that is 2 cups of powdered sugar and then you sift it?
Or, is that 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar?
It’s a bit of a confusion, unless the measurement is given by weight.
I also want to mention that vanilla sugar packets can also be bought at Cost Plus.
I’m looking forward to making these during my Solstice cookie baking flurry.
I think I’ll use my crescent moon, round, and star cookie cutters!
Hi Laurie, measure 2 cups of powdered sugar and then sift it. Happy baking!
Can these be made in advance and frozen?
Hi Sue, they can be frozen without the frosting. I’m not sure how well the frosting will hold up as it thaws.
Is it possible to use peanut meal instead of the almond/hazelnut meal?
Hi Farzad, yes, you can pretty much use any nut meal of your choice.
My frosting puffed up and was bumpy not smooth and firm like the pictures, any advice? Still tasted yummy and was crispy!
Hi Deidre, it has to do with beating the egg whites to just the right consistency and that only comes through practice and experience to know when it’s “just right.”
I made these for a cookie exchange. They turned out great and I’ll be sharing the recipe! I made my own vanillazucker by adding the inside of one vanilla bean to 1 cup of sugar and mixing
Fantastic, Tamiko, thanks so much!
Is it okay to use blanched almond flour? I accidentally bought the wrong kind and it’s not the cheapest stuff to buy, so I’d rather not have to buy it twice haha :)
Hi Ash, absolutely. The cookies will taste exactly the same, they’ll just be very light in color instead of dark.
Cool!
Just to be clear, when beating the egg whites, should the peaks be soft or stiff?
Not stiff, just beat them until they stand up and then curl over.
How many min to beat egg whites
To soft peak before adding other ingredients?
Hi Gabi, the time will vary depending on your beater and the speed but you’ll need to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and then yes, add the other ingredients.
I made these tonight and I’m not sure where I went wrong. My dough ended up very sticky and I could barely roll out the dough or cut out the cookies because the dough was clinging to everything. Anyone who’s a more experienced baker know where I may have gone wrong? I grew up in Germany and was so looking forward to this traditional cookie my mom made every Christmas growing up!
Hi Andi, something definitely went wrong with the measurements. The only liquid in these cookies is 3 eggs and that’s combined with over 3 cups of nut flour and 2 cups of powdered sugar. In any case, if you experience that again you can simply add some more nut meal and also roll the dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap to prevent sticking.
Thank you so much for responding so quickly! I’m wondering if it may have been the stiff peaks/egg whipping step that threw something off? Once I had the stiff peaks and stirred in the powdered sugar the mixture really sunk in and got weirdly flat. Is that normal? Otherwise I definitely got the measurements right. In any case..I’m going to give it another shot this week and keep my fingers crossed :)
Hi Andi, once you add all the heavy ground nuts the dough isn’t going to remain fluffy, so turning into a firm dough that you’ll then roll out is normal. The dough shouldn’t be overly dry, so be careful not to add too much extra nut flour if you think the dough is too sticky. Just add enough to where the dough is manageable and you can also try rolling it out between two sheets of plastic wrap. I hope you have better luck next time!
Thank you! I meant more when the powdered sugar was added to the beaten egg whites, before I added in the other dry ingredients. The texture looked a little funny. I’ll let you know how it goes.