Zimtsterne: German Cinnamon Stars (German Christmas Cookies)
Zimtsterne, or German cinnamon stars are a light, gluten free cookie which I discovered in Germany at the Christmas markets, thanks to a friend. With this authentic German cookie recipe, you can make them in your own kitchen, wherever you live.
Originally published December 5, 2013 (updated Dec. 19, 2020).
The Christmas markets in Germany are definitely something I’ve alway wanted to experience, but never actually thought about planning a trip for a few reasons. However due to unforeseen circumstances, things happened which led me to go to Germany for a week in December and I discovered these German cinnamon star cookies!
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I hadn’t planned to go to Germany at Christmastime since there’s the time factor, and the cost of the trip (because I live in Los Angeles and can’t just pop over to Germany for a weekend getaway). It’s also bad timing for me to go in December because the kids are still in school. However, that all changed overnight, last week, so I’m leaving for Cologne, Germany on Monday! (<– this is from 2013)
UPDATE (after my trip): Here’s why you should go to the Christmas Markets in Germany!
I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say everything worked out beautifully, and I was able to book a flight, and will be in Germany this time next week!
Advice from a German Friend
Because of this last minute trip, I called my friend Barbara, who is originally from Germany, to ask if there is anything I shouldn’t miss when I get to Cologne. She said there isn’t anything in particular that she could think of, but just to taste everything I see (good advice).
She then went on to tell me about some cinnamon star cookies her mother always made at Christmastime.
Barbara sent me a translated page for this German Christmas cookie recipe, which had the ingredients, but was missing the baking instructions.
Another nutty Christmas cookie recipe you may enjoy: Almond bread.
So I found another recipe on Food Network and sort of made a combination of both recipes. I have to tell you, these cookies are delicious! They remind me of a French, cinnamon macaron because they also just happen to be gluten free!
Get my recipe for a very popular Christmas tradition in many countries: a Yule Log! (Also naturally gluten free.)
What are Zimtsterne?
From the combination of zimt, meaning cinnamon, and sterne, meaning stars, zimtsterne are cinnamon stars. Thanks, Barbara! These German Christmas cookies are made with confectioner’s sugar, ground nuts, cinnamon and egg whites. This is made into a dough, rolled out, cut into star shapes, topped with meringue and slowly baked/dried in a low oven.
How Long do Zimsterne keep?
Because of the few ingredients and the icing, zimtsterne can keep in a sealed container, preferably a tin, for up to a month.
Can I Freeze Zimtsterne Cookies?
They freeze well if for some reason you need to keep them longer than a month.
NOTE: due to the difference in ground nuts and nut flours, I highly recommend that you use a scale and these step by step directions for the best results
Zimtsterne: German Cinnamon Stars
adapted from a German friend’s recipe and directions from Food Network
makes about 7 dozen 2″ cookies (84)
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Preheat oven to 250º F (120º C)
Make the Zimsterne Cookie Dough
In a large bowl, combine half of the powdered sugar, the ground nuts and cinnamon, and mix until well-combined. Set aside.
Beat egg whites in bowl with mixer until soft peaks form. Add the other half of the powdered sugar and continue to beat for another 2 or 3 minutes until thick and creamy.
Remove 1 1/4 cups of the meringue mixture and set aside in a covered container (I put it in a condiment dispenser for easy decorating). TIP: test the meringue before putting it in a bottle. If the icing runs off the cookie, add a little more sugar until it stays in place, but isn’t too thick.
Add the almond mixture to the rest of the egg white mixture.
Mix thoroughly until a dough forms. Cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Place some parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle with powdered sugar, then place the dough on top and shape into a ball, then slightly flatten it. Sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top and place another piece of parchment on top.
Roll the dough out to 1/4″ thickness, then cut out star shapes; re-roll the dough, to cut out more until it has been completely used. I used a 5 pointed star and 6 pointed star shaped cutter (the latter is the more authentic of the shapes to use).
Coat the Zimtsterne with Meringue
Place on a parchment or silicone sheet lined cookie sheet, then cover the top with the reserved meringue mixture. 
As I said earlier, using a condiment bottle makes it very simple to decorate the tops of these cookies (and others, as you’ll see me using this for my snow cookies).
Continue decorating until all the cookies are coated in meringue.
Bake the Zimtsterne
Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn off the oven, open the door slightly and allow to dry out for another 10 minutes or so, before removing from the oven. Place the cinnamon stars on cooling rack to cool completely. These cookies are almost more dried than baked. The meringue should still be white after baking.
Serve with a cup of tea, coffee or, for a German market experience, Glühwein (mulled wine) or even a Rüdesheimer coffee!
These make perfect cookies for an exchange or to give to friends and neighbors because they keep for a long time. Give them on a pretty Christmas plates which they can keep! Zimtsterne are also great to ship in care packages for the same reason. If you need to, they freeze perfectly, too.
Enjoy!
Another gluten free almond recipe from What a Girl Eats: mandelbread.
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Zimtsterne: German Cinnamon Stars
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar (sifted, divided in half)
- 2 ½ to 3 cups ground almonds (almond flour)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250º F (120º C)
- Please see NOTES for best results.
- In a large bowl, combine half of the powdered sugar, the ground almonds and cinnamon and mix until well-combined. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites in bowl with mixer until soft peaks form. Add the other half of the powdered sugar and continue to beat for another 2 or 3 minutes until thick and creamy.
- Remove 1 cup (250 ml) of the beaten eggs and set aside in a covered container (I put it in a condiment dispenser for easy decorating).
- Add the almond mixture to the rest of the egg white mixture and mix well, until a dough forms. It's important to note that due to the amount of egg white varying (size of egg used, etc.) you may need more almond flour to form a dough. Cover and put in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Place some parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle with powdered sugar, then place the dough on top and shape into a ball, then slightly flatten it.
- Sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top and place another piece of parchment on top.
- Roll out to 1/4" thickness, then cut out star shapes; re-roll the dough, to cut out more until it has been completely used.
- Place on a parchment or silicone sheet lined cookie sheet, then cover the top with the reserved meringue mixture. Using a condiment bottle makes it very simple to decorate the tops of these cookies (and others; see NOTES). Continue until all the cookies are coated in meringue.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn off the oven, open the door slightly and allow to dry out for another 10 minutes or so, before removing from the oven. Place the Zimtsterne on cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Some have commented that the measurements are off, but they are not. Please just add the lower amount of almond flour, then add more as needed once it's mixed with the egg whites. It's easy to know when it forms a dough.
- Before coating the cookies, check the meringue mixture; if it runs off, add more sugar until it flows smoothly and doesn't run off the cookie. Don't make it too thick so that it doesn't set smoothly, though.
Nutrition
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I just made these and the dough came out very wet even after freezing it. I used almond flour and weighed it (120 grams as written in the recipe). I ended up kneading in an extra ½ cup or so of almond flour to obtain a consistency that was suitable for rolling and cutting out the stars. Despite this the Zimtsterne looked great and were delicious. Do you have any idea why my dough came out so wet?
Hi Karen, my fault! Someone else wrote the same thing, and I have fixed the error. A cup of almond flour is about 100g, so you were correct in having to add more. Glad they turned out well!
I’m in the middle of making these but I weighed the ground almonds, 120g was way under 2 cups. Only around 1 cup. And now my dough is almost pure liquid. Looks like goopy oatmeal, not a dough. Now I’m serving to add more almonds and sugar and hoping for the best.
Did you actually measure in cups and not in grams? Are the grams written wrong? So confused.
Hi Hannah, so sorry, I just weighed some almond meal and you are correct, one cup is about 100g so I’ve edited the recipe. That’s my error, so I apologize! Hope the cookies turned out well.
Sounds great! One question- is it 2 1/2 or 3 cups of almond flour? I think that is a wide range and as it’s very expensive, would like to have the correct amount. Thank You!
Hi Marybeth, if you want the exact amount you’ll have to use a scale. That is the precise amount and cups are simply not accurate or dependable. If you follow me for any amount of time, you’ll know that this is something I am very passionate about. Pastry chefs never use cups for good reason. If you don’t have a scale, they are extremely inexpensive and you won’t regret using them (so much easier than cups, too)! Hope this helps. CC
I love when I find an inherently gluten-free recipe for Mason. These are so pretty and we all love cinnamon. It would be such a treat and so delightful to go to a Christmas market in Germany. One day! :-) ~Valentina
Put it on your list, Valentina! You will not be disappointed! :)
Zimtsterne Are one of my favorite cookies from Germany! I’ve never made them, though, so thanks for this recipe. Also, I love that you use the condiment bottle for the royal icing. Brilliant! This post brought back so many memories of my visits to Germany at Christmas time, and going to the Christmas markets. There’s nothing like them… It was sad that they closed this year, but better to miss one year and be be ready and healthy for all those in the future. We are putting up our Christmas tree today, and adding the candles in the candleholders I bought at the Christmas market when I was there in 1981. Thanks for the wonderful memories, Christina! maybe I will make some Zimtsterne over the holidays to celebrate the confluence of Jupiter and Saturn (which I know are planets, but they look like stars)!
I know!! The German Christmas markets are incredibly magical! How can you not get into the Christmas spirit there?! I spent an entire week just going to all the markets in Cologne 6 years ago and wish I could do a different city every year! I think you’d like this recipe. I used half pecan and half almond flour on my most recent batch, but I think hazelnut are my favorite! :) Have fun putting up the tree!
Christina, Merry Christmas! This cookie looks very interesting for my gluten free guests. Can I use my almond flour for this recipe? Not sure if it’s the same thing as grinding my almonds. Do these keep or should I do them closer to the 25th? Thanks for all your great recipes! Nancy
Hi Nancy!
Ground almonds have a thicker texture than almond flour, but I would imagine it would still work! These keep really well, just put them in an airtight tin and they will be totally fine next week. Thank you for enjoying my recipes! :) Merry Christmas and let me know how you like the Zimtsterne. :)
Christina