Zimtsterne (Christmas Star Cookies) |
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Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Minutes |
Ready In: 22 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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Adapted from a Julie Biuso recipe in NZ Your Home & Garden. ...popular in Germanic countries during the festive season. Made with flourless nut dough, the come flavoured with Kirsch or lemon, sometimes rum, and topped with a crisp white icing which resembles snow. ...Zimtsterne improve with age - the strong, woody cinnamon notes mellow and the nutty almond aroma and taste come to the fore. Ingredients:
3 egg whites |
450 g icing sugar |
500 g whole almonds, unblanched plus an extra 50g if required |
1 lemon, juice of |
30 g ground cinnamon |
125 g white sugar (for rolling out) |
Directions:
1. In a large bowl beat egg whites until frothy, then add icing sugar. Spoon six tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl and reserve, covered with plastic wrap.
2. Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Mix lemon juice with egg white, blend in cinnamon. Work in almonds, adding more if necessary to make dough stiff. Rest mixture for 20 minutes.
3. Put a good sprinkling of sugar on a dry workbench and pat or roll the dough until about 1 cm thick, using sugar to prevent sticking.
4. Cut out star shapes. Transfer stars to a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
5. Let the biscuits dry for two hours (can be left overnight), then brush them with the reserved egg white/icing sugar mixture. Bake at 130 degrees for about 20 mins, if the biscuits colour too quickly, prop the oven door open. Icing should be very pale.
6. Store in a airtight container when cool. These keep well, could be made a month in advance.
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