Hazelnut Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars) with coconut sugar meringue

Hazelnut Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars) made with ground hazelnuts, cinnamon and egg white, sweetened with coconut sugar and baked with a meringue glaze. Family-friendly Christmas cookies for snacking.

At a glance

• Serves 12
• Prep time: 50 min
• Cooking time: 12 min
• Total time: 62 min
• Calories: 189 kcal per serving
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 14 g
• Carbs: 11 g

Ingredients

• 250g ground hazelnuts
• 2 egg whites
• 120g coconut sugar
• 20g ground almonds
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · blender · cookie cutters

1. Grind the coconut sugar finely in a blender. Whisk the egg whites with the salt and lemon juice until stiff, letting the coconut sugar trickle in until the mixture is glossy.
2. Set aside 4 tbsp of the meringue for the glaze, cover and chill.
3. Knead the hazelnuts and cinnamon into the remaining meringue until you have a dough you can shape, then chill it for 30 min.
4. Preheat the oven to 150 °C (130 °C fan). Roll out the dough 7 mm thick between two sheets of baking paper sprinkled with the almonds and cut out stars.
5. Place the stars on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush them with the glaze. Bake for 10 to 12 min at 150 °C, until the glaze is dry and the stars are still soft inside.

Good to know

Zimtsterne made with hazelnuts taste a little stronger than the classic almond ones. Coconut sugar gives the glaze a light brown colour instead of snow white, but it tastes slightly of caramel. The dough doesn't need any flour.

Swaps

Hazelnuts → ground almonds (classic). Coconut sugar → finely ground maple sugar. Cinnamon → replace half with gingerbread spice. Almonds for rolling → ground hazelnuts.

Cooking tips

Dip the cookie cutter in water now and then so the dough doesn't stick. The stars are done when the glaze is dry; they stay soft inside.

Storage

Keeps for 3 weeks in a cookie tin; a slice of apple in the tin keeps them soft.

Allergens

Gluten-free and no milk; contains hazelnuts, almonds and egg. The glaze is baked with the cookies. In pregnancy, don't nibble the raw dough or the unbaked glaze.

Dairy-free recipes