German Cinnamon Star Christmas Cookies

Steps to make

1. 1

   Whisk egg whites

   2 min
   

   In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

2. 2

   Add sugar

   13 min
   

   Add confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup batches at a time, beating for 1 minute in between each addition and for a further 5 minutes after the final addition. Mixture should be stiff enough. Set aside ½ cup of mixture for icing.

4. 3

   Prepare dough

   2 min
   

   Fold raw almond meal, cinnamon and Kirschwasser if using it. Mix to combine.

5. 4

   Chill dough

   1h
   

   Refrigerate for 1 hour to chill dough.

6. 5

   Cut cookies

   10 min
   

   Roll out cookie dough onto a clean countertop or a board dusted with a generous amount of confectioners’ sugar and pat into a square shape about ½-inch thick. Using a star cookie cutter, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, cut out stars. Dust cookie cutter between each cut. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment paper.

7. 6

   Brush with icing

   10 min
   

   Spread reserved icing on each star all the way to the end of each point.

8. 7

   Dry stars

   8h
   

   Dry stars overnight, ideally inside the oven.

9. 8

   Preheat oven

   5 min

   Preheat oven to 300 °F.

10. 9

    Bake

    12 min
    

    Bake each baking sheet for 10-12 minutes, removing from the oven before icing turns too brown. Keep color a little golden.

11. 10

    Serve

    

    Remove cookies from baking sheet to cool completely and store in a dry place or serve immediately with tea or coffee!