Cinnamonstars Recipes

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:

• In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Combine egg and milk; add to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-in. cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Remove to a wire rack; cool completely. , For glaze, combine sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve a spreading consistency. Spread on half of the cookies; sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Let stand until set. Place 1 teaspoon of jam on the unglazed cookies and top each with a glazed cookie.

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 STARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the almonds and cinnamon. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar while beating until egg whites become thick and glossy. Gently fold egg whites into almond mixture.
• Lightly dust a board with powdered sugar and roll egg white dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cutter dusted with powdered sugar to cut out stars. Using a spatula, carefully lift stars onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F. Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until set through, remove from oven and brush with glaze. Continue baking for 5 more minutes. Transfer to cooling racks to cool.

CINNAMON STARS: ZIMTSTERNE (GERMANY)

Steps:

• Sift the confectioners' sugar.
• Put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces.
• Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies.
• Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it.
• Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Excess dough can be rerolled.) Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue.
• Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

ZIMTSTERNE (CINNAMON STAR COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a bowl mix dry ingredients for dough.
• Add egg whites and knead until a still sticky dough is formed.
• Wrap into cling film and put into the fridge for at least one hour. I always leave it in the fridge for 2 - 4 hours.
• Near the end of cooling time preaheat oven (170 C) and make meringue glaze.
• For meringue glaze beat egg white with salt until stiff. While still beating add caster sugar by and by to make meringue.
• The meringue should have a consistency that you can spread it with a brush onto the dough later. It should have a more creamy consistency, so that it will stick on the dough and not running down.
• Add just a little milk to get the right consistency. Depending on the egg white you may need about 1 to 3 tablespoons.
• Line out baking trays with parchment paper.
• Get the dough out of the fridge and roll it out between two layers of parchment papers or cling film. The dough sould be a bout 1 cm thick.
• Method ONE for making cinnamon stars (easy way): Using a star cutter cut out the stars and place them on the baking tray. With a brush spread meringue glaze on the cookies.
• Method TWO for making cinnamon stars (tricky way): After you have rolled out the dough spread a thin layer of the meringue glaze on the dough. Now you need a star cutter which can be opened. These are available in Germany. When you can open the cookie cutter you avoid touching the glaze, because the dough has the tendency to stick to the cutter. Put the stars on the tray. Knead the rest of the dough again and add some grounded almonds, so that the dough is not too sticky. Repeat the steps of making the stars.
• Bake the cookies for about 10 - 12 minutes. Watch them carefully, because the meringue should not be browned.
• Take them out and let cool completely. Store them in airtight container. The cookies get better and better, because the flavours blended over time, but I you have to find a good hidout.
• NOTE on egg size: egg size is important here, because it determines the stickyness. My recipe is based on an egg size of 54 - 63 g per egg.
• Custom yield is a guess.
• Time to make does NOT include cooling time.

CINNAMON STARS

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and the butter with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Beat in flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and cinnamon until well blended. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
• Heat oven to 375°F (if using dark or nonstick cookie sheet, heat oven to 350°F). Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll half of dough at a time 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter. On ungreased cookie sheets, place stars 1 inch apart.
• Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light golden. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In 2-quart saucepan, heat candies and water to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until candies are melted. Remove from heat. With wire whisk, stir in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth. Drizzle icing over cookies. (Icing sets up quickly; if necessary, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, for drizzling consistency.)

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.

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 STARS (ZIMTSTERNE) GERMAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Separate egg yolks from whites and beat whites until stiff peaks form.
• Slowly sift in the sugar and lemon juice, then beat some more for about 8 minutes.
• Put aside 4 heaped tablespoons of the meringue - this will be used to top the cookies later on.
• Add ground almonds and cinnamon to the remaining meringue and mix well. You might want to add a dash of rum or Amaretto.
• Cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge for about an hour.
• Sit down, relax and have a cup of tea.
• After an hour fetch the dough from the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/160C/320°F.
• Sprinkle a surface with confectioners' or regular white sugar and roll the dough to approximately 5 mm.
• Cut the stars with a star shaped (yes, indeed!) cookie cutter.
• Put the stars on the lined baking sheet.
• Now get the reserved meringue from earlier. You might have to stir it a bit so it becomes a smooth mix. You also might want to add some more lemon juice. It's a matter of taste.
• Now brush the cookies with the topping and bake them for about 8 minutes.
• Cool on the baking sheet.
• Store in an air-tight tin.
• The cookies should keep for about two weeks.

CINNAMON STARS (ZIMTSTERNE)

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse almonds with 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until finely ground, about 1 minute (do not grind into a paste). Add cinnamon and zest, and pulse twice.
• In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites and salt with an electric mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually whisk in remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Continue to whisk until meringue is glossy and stiff, but not dry, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer 1/3 cup meringue to a small bowl. Add remaining meringue to mixture in processor, and pulse just until dough comes together. Place dough on parchment lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar; pat into a disk, and chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with racks in middle and upper thirds. Dust top of dough lightly with confectioners' sugar, top with parchment, and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough using a 1 1/2-inch star-shaped cutter, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Dip cutter into confectioners' sugar frequently to prevent dough from sticking. Reroll scraps, and cut more shapes.
• Stir the water into reserved meringue; brush mixture generously over tops of stars using a small paintbrush. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm when gently pressed, but not hard and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

GERMAN CINNAMON STARS (ZIMTSTERNE)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• 2. Combine the nuts, cinnamon, and zest. Beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add the salt, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff and glossy, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve one-third of the meringue (about 1/3 cup) and fold the nut mixture into the remaining meringue.
• 3. Place a large piece of waxed paper on a flat surface and sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Place the nut mixture on the sugar, lightly sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, top with a second piece of waxed paper, and roll out 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top piece of waxed paper. Using a cookie cutter dipped in water, cut into 2-inch star shapes or use a sharp knife to cut into diamonds. Reroll and cut any scraps. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• 4. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Spread the reserved meringue over the top of the cookies and bake until the tops are lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Zimtsternen taste best if allowed to stand for 24 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.