Zimtsterne Cookies

Zimtsterne Cookies

Ingredients

    2 & 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
    15 ounces sliced almonds (about 4 & 1/2 cups)
    1 & 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    3 large egg whites, at room temperature
    2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°. Line baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.

Place 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces almonds (3 heaping cups), and cinnamon in a food processor. Process until nuts are finely ground.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, whip egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Continue whipping and gradually add remaining confectioners' sugar about 2 more minutes. Whites should be thick, creamy, and somewhat stiff. Set aside 2/3 cup of mixture for tops of cookies.

Gently fold ground almond mixture and lemon zest into egg whites mixture. Dough will be stiff.

Lay a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper on a clean, flat work surface. Place dough on paper. Flatten dough and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Cover dough with another sheet of paper.

Roll dough between papers to a 1/4-inch thickness. Flip dough over. Gently peel off the top sheet of paper. Lay the paper back onto the dough and flip again. Peel other sheet of paper so that the dough is not stuck to either sheet of paper.

Using a 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Gather and re-roll dough as needed.

Use an offset spatula or small spoon to spread remaining meringue mixture on top of each cookie. Do not let the meringue drip over the sides. Place remaining almonds on top of meringue.

Bake 30 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp. Turn off oven and open oven door. Leave cookies in oven for 10 minutes to allow them to dry.

Yield: about 24 cookies

Notes

- Dough can be frozen between sheets of parchment or waxed paper for up to 2 weeks.
- Cookies will keep for 10 days in an airtight container.