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Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)
Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites from mediium to large eggs
- 2 ml ‚Cream of Tartar’ * or 1 ml salt
- 250 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Vanilla essence
- 2 ml almond or rum essence
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) cinnamon
- 350 g nut flour (ground almonds or ground hazelnuts or ground pecans or a mixture of ground nuts)
Method
- Beat the eggs with 'Cream of Tartar' or salt until thick and creamy - the egg whites should form soft peaks.
- Gradually add the sifted icing sugar and beat until well mixed. Set aside about 6 tablespoons of the egg whites to brush the stars.
- Mix nut flour and spices, add to the egg micture and mix/knead well - the dough should be slightly sticky. If it is too soft, add some ground nuts or flour.
- Roll out dough to a thickness of 6 mm on a work surface dusted with icing sugar. It is easier to roll out the dough between
2 layers of cling film. - Cut out stars and brush with the egg white set aside using a kitchen brush or a knife with a rounded blade.
- Bake the cinnamon stars on a baking tray lined with baking paper at 125° C; depending on the thickness, the cookies need 30-60 minutes in the oven. When done, the underside should still feel a bit soft.
- Cool on a wire rack and store in a dry and cool place, but not necessarily in an airtight container.
Baking time: 40 - 60 minutes at 125°C.
Tips
- To get good stiff egg whites, the bowl and whisk must be absolutely fat-free and there must be no trace of egg yolk in the egg white.
- The dough can be processed immediately, but if it is chilled (30-60 minutes in the fridge) it sticks less and is easier to work with.
- The dough could be rolled out first in a freezer bag or between cling film and the placed in the refrigirator.
- So that the dough does not stick to the cookie cutters, dip them in flour.
- Instead of cutting out stars, you can brush the rolled out dough with the egg white left behind and then cut it into diamonds (rhombs).
- If the egg white mixture is too thick for brushing, add a few drops of water.
- If the cinnamon stars are too hard, place a an apple slice in the cookie jar a day or two.
Variations
- Finely grind 2 tablespoons of soluble coffee powder and add to the egg snow with the icing sugar.
- After brushing the cookies with egg snow decorate them with pecans, chopped cranberries or asterisks from dried apricots.
* ‘Cream of Tartar’ is a combination of tartaric acid and potassium hydroxide and is sometimes called potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate. The potassium hydroxide partially neutralizes the tartaric acid so that ‘cream of tartar’ is less acidic than tartaric acid. ‘Cream of Tartar’ is added to egg whites to boost the strength of the individual air bubbles and slow down their natural tendency to deflate.
Makes about 50 cookies
Recipe from my mother, Irene Behrens.