Zimtsterne
These 4-ingredient Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars) aka German Christmas cookies are lightly spiced and chewy, and perfect for the holidays. Plus, the recipe is naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and now egg-free too!
Zimtsterne
Course: KetoCuisine: VeganDifficulty: MediumServings
40
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
8
minutesTotal time
38
minutesIngredients
Cookies:
2 cups (200 g) ground almonds (*see notes)
1/2 heaped cup (70 g) icing sugar or powdered Erythritol/Xylitol (*see notes)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 pinch of cardamom optional
2 tbsp orange juice + more if needed
1/2 tbsp orange zest
Glaze:
7-8 tbsp (70 g) icing sugar or powdered Xylitol (*see notes)
1 tbsp water
Directions
- Combine the dry ingredients
- Add the ground almonds, icing sugar (or powdered Erythritol or Xylitol), cinnamon, and cardamom to a food processor and blend for a couple of seconds. If you don’t have a food processor, simply add the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and stir with a spoon.
- Add the wet ingredients & mix
- Now add the orange juice and orange zest and mix again until the dough is crumbly and sticks together when you press it between your fingers. If it’s too dry, add a little more orange juice.
- Form & chill the dough
- Remove the dough from the food processor and shape it into a ball. Wrap it in cling foil and chill in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes.
- Place the chilled dough between 2 layers of plastic wrap (or parchment paper) and roll it out with a rolling pin. It should be about 0.5-0.7 cm thick (1/4 inch).
- Cut & bake the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. You can dip your cutter in a bowl of powdered sugar between cutting the cookies. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the cutter.
- Depending on the size of your cookie cutter the recipe will make 30-40 cookies. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your cookies, the baking time may vary by 1-2 minutes. Let them cool completely.
- Glaze the cookies
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by mixing icing sugar (or powdered Xylitol) and water in a small bowl until it’s a creamy paste. If it’s too thick add a little more water and if it’s too thin add more icing sugar.
- Brush the glaze on the cooled cookies and let them dry. Enjoy! Store cookies in a cookie tin in a cool place for up to 2-3 weeks.
Notes
- I recommend using a kitchen scale and measuring the ingredients in grams.
- If you find the dough too sticky, add a little extra almond meal/ powdered sugar.
- Icing sugar: You can use powdered Erythritol for a keto version or powdered Xylitol for a low-carb version. The glaze actually works even better with powdered Xylitol than with regular icing sugar. Please note that dogs shouldn’t consume anything made with Xylitol.
- Almonds: You can replace half of the amount with ground hazelnuts or your favorite ground nuts.
- Orange: I really love the flavor of fresh orange juice and zest. Alternatively, you could use lemon instead.
- Check the step-by-step photos in the blog post.
- The total time doesn’t include chill time.
- You might also like these Vegan Snickerdoodles.
- Zimtsterne Amount Per Serving (1 cookie) Calories 51 Calories from Fat 27% Daily Value* Fat 3g5% Saturated Fat 1g5% Carbohydrates 6g2% Fiber 1g4% Sugar 5g6% Protein 1g2%
