Cinnamon Star Cutouts Recipes

ZIMTSTERNE (CINNAMON STARS)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and line a large baking tray (or 2 smaller) with baking parchment. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk until foamy. Add the lemon juice and whisk again until they hold soft peaks.
• Slowly mix in the icing sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is stiff. Remove about a quarter of the meringue mixture and set aside to use for the topping. Put the almonds, cinnamon, ginger and lemon zest in the bowl with the meringue and mix to form a stiff, slightly sticky dough.
• To form the stars, put the dough on a piece of baking parchment lightly dusted with icing sugar and dust the top of the dough with sugar, too. Place a second sheet of parchment on top of the dough and roll out to about 0.5cm thick (the dough is a little sticky, so the parchment makes it easier to roll). Peel off the top sheet of parchment and use a 5cm star-shaped cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. Place them on your prepared baking tray.
• Using the reserved meringue mixture, spread a small amount onto the top of each cookie, covering the entire top - you may need to add a few drops of water to make the meringue a little easier to spread. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 12-15 mins until meringue is set but not browned. Allow to cool fully before storing in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.

PERFECT CINNAMON STARS

Steps:

• Put all dough ingredients into a large bowl.
• Mix the ingredients by hand or mixer until you have a nice dough.
• Shape the dough into a somewhat flat rectangular shape, cover it (i.e. with beeswax cloth in silicone bag or container) and put it into the fridge.
• Let the dough rest for at least 6 hours or overnight, then continue with making the icing.
• Prepare the icing: For a perfect icing, weigh the egg whites and use 5 times this weight for the confectioner's sugar.
• Start by mixing the egg whites.
• When the egg whites are fluffy and shiny, add ⅓ of the confectioner's sugar and mix.
• Repeat until the entire sugar is in the icing.
• Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out on a board that will fit into your freezer.
• Spread the icing onto the rolled dough, make sure it is even and not too thick.
• Put the remaining icing aside, you will need it later.
• Put the iced dough into the freezer for two hours.
• After two hours, take it out and start cutting the cookies as described next.
• Use a medium size star cookie cutter and dip it into a small bowl of water. Then make sure excess water is absorbed by a kitchen towel (see video if that's unclear).
• Cut a star out of the frozen dough and place it onto the baking sheet by carefully tapping the cutter onto the sheet until the cookie falls off.
• The remaining dough (leftover from the cuttings) can be kneaded and rolled again, then spread the remaining icing on it and repeat as before.
• Let the cookies dry for two hours.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (a little lower than in the video) and bake for about 8 minutes.
• You know that the cinnamon stars are ready when you can lift them from the baking sheet.
• Don't let the frosting bake to a tan.
• Let the cookies cool, then store them in an airtight container.

CINNAMON STARS

Steps:

• Stir together the almonds, cinnamon, and lemon zest until combined.
• Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Slowly sift in the confectioner's sugar, continuing to beat until the mixture is stiff. Set aside 1/3 cup of the egg white mixture for the glaze. Fold in the almond mixture.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a surface that has been sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. Using a 2 1/2-inch star cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on the cookie sheets.
• To make the glaze, add the lemon juice to the reserved egg white mixture, stirring until smooth. Brush the tops of the cookies lightly with the glaze. (If the glaze starts to thicken, add a few more drops of lemon juice.)
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When done, they will be light brown and soft in the center. Remove and cool on wire racks.

CINNAMON ROLL CUT-OUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• Cream butter and sugar together using an electric mixture in a second bowl until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix everything by hand into a smooth dough.
• Divide dough into 4 pieces and flatten into 1-inch thick rounds. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks and decorate as desired.

EASY CINNAMON STARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• In large bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, melted butter, egg and cinnamon until soft dough forms.
• On floured surface, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter; place cutouts 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Spread generous 1/2 teaspoon frosting on each cookie; sprinkle crushed candies over tops of cookies. Let stand about 30 minutes or until frosting is set. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature with waxed paper between layers.

CINNAMON STAR CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. star-shaped cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.