Cinnamon Almond Meringue Star Cookies (Zimtsterne)

These German cinnamon star cookies, known as zimtsterne, are a lovely treat for the holidays. The texture is light, crispy and chewy and each cookie is topped with a meringue icing.

I knew it wasn't going to be an ordinary brunch when everyone at the table pulled out DSLR cameras (except me, with my tiny - but proud - point and shoot) and the waiter brought over an extra table so that we could arrange our cookie exchange treats for their photo shoots. It could only be a meeting of food bloggers. Thanks to the efforts of Holly of PheMOMenon and Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod, I enjoyed a couple of hours of food, blogging, and everyday life chit-chat with Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, Barbara of Barbara Bakes, Becky of Vintage Mixer, Tiffany of Food Finery, Chris of Mele Cotte, Cristie of The Table Runner, and her daughter, Candace, of A Little Blog at the Wild Grape Bistro in Salt Lake City.
The food, ranging from The Grape's Egg Benedict, complete with a thick slice of ham, to Nutella-Stuffed Brioche French Toast was delectable and beautifully presented. The cookies spoke of the holidays - shortbread, chocolate, mint, meringue - and lasted less than one hour in my house. We're not known for moderation around the holidays. It was truly a wonderful way to kick off the festivities of December.

My offering to our festive brunch was a cookie that I found on the Food Network site. Typically, I can't help but tweak recipes to my liking, but I did not change this one iota. The dough is made with a mixture of sliced almonds, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest. A light meringue is spread on top of each cookie and topped decoratively with almond slices. The result is a crisp, light, and flavorful cookie that happens to be gluten-free.

How to make German cinnamon star cookies:

In a food processor, combine ½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces sliced almonds (3 heaping cups), and 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon.

Process until the nuts are finely ground, with a few larger pieces still present.

In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), whip 3 large egg whites on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1 ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, with the motor running, until the whites are thick and somewhat stiff, about 2 additional minutes. Set aside ⅔ cup of the meringue. Fold the remaining meringue and 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest into the almond mixture.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Lightly dust a sheet of parchment or wax paper with confectioners' sugar and place the dough on the paper. Flatten the dough, lightly dust it with confectioners' sugar, and another piece of parchment or wax paper on top. Roll the dough between the paper until it is about ¼-inch thick.

Gently peel off the top piece of wax paper and then replace it on the dough. Flip the dough over and peel off the new top sheet of wax paper. This process will insure that the dough doesn't stick to the bottom piece of wax paper after cutting with star cutter.

Using a 3-inch star, cut out cookies and place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. If necessary, reroll excess dough to make more cookies.

Using a small spoon or offset spatula, spread the reserved meringue over each cookie, insuring that the meringue doesn't drip off the sides of the cookies. Press remaining almond pieces (about 5 ounces) onto cookies in a decorative pattern.

Bake cookies until the bottoms are light golden brown and the meringue is set, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cookies sit in the oven for about 10 minutes to dry.

Other gluten-free cookie recipes:

Karina's Kitchen's Mint Chocolate Cookies
Elana's Pantry's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten-Free Girl's Peanut Butter Cookies
Gluten Free Mommy's Sour Cream M&M Cookies

Cinnamon & Almond Meringue Star Cookies (Zimtsterne)

2 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
15 oz. sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 ½ cups)
1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

In a food processor, combine ½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces sliced almonds (3 heaping cups), and cinnamon. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with a few larger pieces still present.

In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), whip egg whites on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1 ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, with the motor running, until the whites are thick and somewhat stiff, about 2 additional minutes. Set aside ⅔ cup of the meringue. Fold the remaining meringue and 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest into the almond mixture.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Lightly dust a sheet of parchment or wax paper with confectioners' sugar and place the dough on the paper. Flatten the dough, lightly dust it with confectioners' sugar, and another piece of parchment or wax paper on top. Roll the dough between the paper until it is about ¼-inch thick. Gently peel off the top piece of wax paper and then replace it on the dough. Flip the dough over and peel off the new top sheet of wax paper. This process will insure that the dough doesn't stick to the bottom piece of wax paper after cutting with star cutter.

Using a 3-inch star, cut out cookies and place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. If necessary, reroll excess dough to make more cookies. Using a small spoon or offset spatula, spread the reserved meringue over each cookie, insuring that the meringue doesn't drip off the sides of the cookies. Gently press remaining almond pieces (about 5 ounces) onto cookies in a decorative pattern.

Bake cookies until the bottoms are light golden brown and the meringue is set, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cookies sit in the oven for about 10 minutes to dry.

Makes about 24 cookies.

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