Zimtsterne 11 Food

ZIMTSTERNE (CINNAMON STARS)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and line a large baking tray (or 2 smaller) with baking parchment. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk until foamy. Add the lemon juice and whisk again until they hold soft peaks.
• Slowly mix in the icing sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is stiff. Remove about a quarter of the meringue mixture and set aside to use for the topping. Put the almonds, cinnamon, ginger and lemon zest in the bowl with the meringue and mix to form a stiff, slightly sticky dough.
• To form the stars, put the dough on a piece of baking parchment lightly dusted with icing sugar and dust the top of the dough with sugar, too. Place a second sheet of parchment on top of the dough and roll out to about 0.5cm thick (the dough is a little sticky, so the parchment makes it easier to roll). Peel off the top sheet of parchment and use a 5cm star-shaped cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. Place them on your prepared baking tray.
• Using the reserved meringue mixture, spread a small amount onto the top of each cookie, covering the entire top - you may need to add a few drops of water to make the meringue a little easier to spread. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 12-15 mins until meringue is set but not browned. Allow to cool fully before storing in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.

ZIMTSTERNE (GERMAN CINNAMON STAR COOKIES) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Add the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Continue beating for 5 minutes after the last addition. The mixture should be very stiff, like the icing used to hold a gingerbread house together.
• Remove 1/2 cup of this meringue mixture and set aside for icing.
• Fold the raw almond meal and cinnamon into the larger portion of meringue. Add the Kirschwasser, if you are using it, and incorporate. Chill the dough for about 1 hour.
• Using ample confectioners' sugar on your baking board or clean countertop, pat the dough into a square and roll out to 1/2-inch thick (or 1 centimeter).
• Cut out stars with a cookie cutter that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. Dust the cookie cutter between each cut.
• Place stars on a nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Brush or spread the reserved meringue icing on each star, working it out to all the points.
• Let the stars dry overnight (about 24 hours, if you can). An oven is a good place if you don't forget they are there and heat for something else.
• The next day, heat the oven to 325 F. Bake each tray for 10 to 15 minutes. This is to dry out the cookies a little more and bake the egg whites. Try to remove the cookies before the icing turns brown, although a little brown tint can look nice.
• Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let them cool completely on a wire rack before storing in a covered container in a dry place at room temperature.

PERFECT CINNAMON STARS

Steps:

• Put all dough ingredients into a large bowl.
• Mix the ingredients by hand or mixer until you have a nice dough.
• Shape the dough into a somewhat flat rectangular shape, cover it (i.e. with beeswax cloth in silicone bag or container) and put it into the fridge.
• Let the dough rest for at least 6 hours or overnight, then continue with making the icing.
• Prepare the icing: For a perfect icing, weigh the egg whites and use 5 times this weight for the confectioner's sugar.
• Start by mixing the egg whites.
• When the egg whites are fluffy and shiny, add ⅓ of the confectioner's sugar and mix.
• Repeat until the entire sugar is in the icing.
• Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out on a board that will fit into your freezer.
• Spread the icing onto the rolled dough, make sure it is even and not too thick.
• Put the remaining icing aside, you will need it later.
• Put the iced dough into the freezer for two hours.
• After two hours, take it out and start cutting the cookies as described next.
• Use a medium size star cookie cutter and dip it into a small bowl of water. Then make sure excess water is absorbed by a kitchen towel (see video if that's unclear).
• Cut a star out of the frozen dough and place it onto the baking sheet by carefully tapping the cutter onto the sheet until the cookie falls off.
• The remaining dough (leftover from the cuttings) can be kneaded and rolled again, then spread the remaining icing on it and repeat as before.
• Let the cookies dry for two hours.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (a little lower than in the video) and bake for about 8 minutes.
• You know that the cinnamon stars are ready when you can lift them from the baking sheet.
• Don't let the frosting bake to a tan.
• Let the cookies cool, then store them in an airtight container.

CINNAMON STARS: ZIMTSTERNE (GERMANY)

Steps:

• Sift the confectioners' sugar.
• Put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces.
• Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies.
• Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it.
• Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Excess dough can be rerolled.) Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue.
• Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

ZIMTSTERNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease your baking sheets.
• Cream the butter, sugar, 2 eggs, egg yolk and lemon juice together until fluffy.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir in the chopped nuts.
• On a lightly floured cloth-covered board roll the dough, 1/3 at a time, to 1/16 inch thick. Cut with a 1 inch star shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the cookies with the remaining egg white, beaten until frothy.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 6 to 8 minutes.
• Variations: Food coloring may be added to the egg white used to brush the tops of the cookies. Two cookies may be put together to form snowflakes with dabs of confectioners' sugar icing made with 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons cream.

ZIMTSTERNE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and chocolate. Combine flour and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. star-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Chill and reroll scraps if desired. , Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks.

GERMAN CINNAMON STARS (ZIMTSTERNE)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• 2. Combine the nuts, cinnamon, and zest. Beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add the salt, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff and glossy, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve one-third of the meringue (about 1/3 cup) and fold the nut mixture into the remaining meringue.
• 3. Place a large piece of waxed paper on a flat surface and sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Place the nut mixture on the sugar, lightly sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, top with a second piece of waxed paper, and roll out 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top piece of waxed paper. Using a cookie cutter dipped in water, cut into 2-inch star shapes or use a sharp knife to cut into diamonds. Reroll and cut any scraps. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• 4. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Spread the reserved meringue over the top of the cookies and bake until the tops are lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Zimtsternen taste best if allowed to stand for 24 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.