Vegan Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars) with almonds and coconut glaze

Vegan cinnamon stars made with ground almonds, cinnamon and maple syrup, with a creamed coconut glaze instead of meringue. Gluten-free vegan desserts for Advent, 243 kcal per three stars.

At a glance

• Serves 10
• Prep time: 50 min
• Cooking time: 12 min
• Total time: 62 min
• Calories: 243 kcal per serving
• Protein: 7 g
• Fat: 17 g
• Carbs: 13 g

Ingredients

• 250g ground almonds
• 20g potato starch
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 100ml maple syrup
• 60g creamed coconut
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · knife · grater · cookie cutters

1. Grate the lemon zest and squeeze out the juice. Knead the almonds, potato starch, cinnamon, salt, lemon zest and most of the maple syrup into a firm dough.
2. Wrap the dough and chill it for 30 minutes. Roll it out 8 mm thick between two sheets of baking paper.
3. Cut out stars, dipping the cutter in water again and again, and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Knead the scraps together and roll them out again.
4. Preheat the oven to 150 °C (130 °C fan). Bake the stars at 150 °C for 10 to 12 minutes, until they feel dry underneath, and leave them to cool on the tray.
5. Warm the creamed coconut, the remaining maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice over a low heat until everything can be stirred smooth.
6. Spread the glaze over the stars with a knife and leave it to set somewhere cool for 30 minutes.

Good to know

Classic Zimtsterne are held together with whisked egg whites and icing sugar. Here, potato starch binds the almond dough, and the white glaze is made from creamed coconut. It sets as soon as it cools and tastes only slightly of coconut.

Swaps

Creamed coconut → cashew butter (softer glaze, store in the fridge). Maple syrup → honey (then no longer vegan). Potato starch → cornflour. Lemon → orange.

Cooking tips

The dough sticks less if you roll it out between baking paper. Take the stars out of the oven while they're still soft inside, otherwise they turn hard.

Storage

Keeps for 2 weeks in a tin stored somewhere cool; above 24 °C, the coconut glaze softens.

Allergens

Contains almonds; vegan, gluten-free, free from milk and egg. Suitable for children.

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