Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
- 4 cups (400 grams) unblanched almond meal*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form.
- Sift in the powdered sugar and continue to beat the egg whites until the sugar is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Transfer ⅓ cup (about 50 grams) of the meringue mixture to a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. This will be used as the glaze.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the almond meal, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Gradually fold into the egg white mixture until well combined.
- Shape the dough into a disc, cover and chill in the refrigerator for two hours.
- Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C) and move the oven rack to the bottom third of the oven. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to about ⅓ inch (8 mm thickness). If you don’t have parchment paper, you can sprinkle your work surface with powdered sugar or flour.
- Use a 3 inch (7.5 cm) star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Dip the cookie cutter in powdered sugar to keep it from sticking to the dough. Continue to re-roll the dough and cut out stars until all the dough has been used.
- Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets. Spoon a bit of the reserved glaze onto each cookie. Use the back of a small spoon to spread it to the edges of each cookie.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Almond meal: Make sure to use unblanched almond meal (made from almonds with the skin still intact). Alternatively, you can pulse whole almonds in a food processor until they reach a finely ground consistency.
Storage: Store Zimtsterne in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.