Cinnamon Star Cookies (Zimtsterne)

Now that Santa has waved from his sleigh in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it is officially the Christmas season! (Does anyone else use this reference, or just my family?)

New York may have the “official” start of the Christmas season, but Philadelphia is filled with its own wonderful holiday traditions from the old (going to the old Wanamaker building, now Macy’s, to see the holiday light show) to the new (ice skating at the outdoor rink on the Delaware Waterfront), but one of my absolute favorites is going to Christmas Village, located in LOVE Park (15th and JFK Boulevard).

Going to the open-air German Christmas Market, open daily between Thanksgiving and Sunday, Dec 28, is a priority of mine this time of year. Sixty-five international and local merchants and artists offer high-quality gifts that are sold in decorated tents and wooden houses located throughout Center City’s famous LOVE Park. With toys, apparel, jewelry, decorations, home goods, artwork and more, there will be something for everyone on Santa’s list.

Daily market hours starting Black Friday through the last Sunday in December will be Friday through Saturday 11:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday through Thursday 11:00am to 7:00pm. Christmas Eve hours are 11:00am to 5:00pm (closed on Christmas Day).

Follow the smell of gingerbread and waffles to a full menu of European food, sweets and drinks, including mouthwatering German bratwurst or schnitzel served on a warm roll (Brötchen). Wash it all down with a warm mug of traditional German Glühwein (spiced mulled wine) or rich hot chocolate.

On top of the great shopping and dining experiences, be sure to check out the huge Christmas Tree in LOVE Park, a Wish Wall in conjunction with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a new kid’s zone on the weekends, theme days and weekends, tasting cheese and wine tours, live music during evenings and weekends, and other surprises to be announced.

So to get in the spirit, I wanted to make a traditional German Holiday Cookie to celebrate the return of Christmas Village! Cinnamon Stars (or Zimtsterne) are made with almond flour base so they are actually gluten free. And even better, they can be stored for quite a while, and taste even better as time passes, making these the perfect cookie to give as a gift!

Ingredients:

•  2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling
• 16 ounces sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Add 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 3 1/2 heaping cups of almonds, and 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon to a food processor.

Process until finely ground.

Add the egg whites to a large bowl and whip with an electric mixer on high until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute.

Add the rest of the confectioners’ sugar in 1/2 cup increments (1/2 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/2 cup and end with 1/4 cup) while still whipping the egg whites. Continue whipping until the whites are thick, creamy, and somewhat stiff, about 2 more minutes.

Set aside 2/3 cup of the meringue for the topping on the cookies, leaving the rest in the large bowl.

Fold in the almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough. (Saying this is a dough is being generous. It is going to be very crumbly.)

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Add a large sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper to a work surface and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed.

Lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Using a rolling pin, 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 star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. You can reroll the dough to keep making more star cutter cookies.

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 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.

The effort put in to make these cookies is well worth it. These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made!

They are nice and chewy, sweet but not too sweet, and really addicting!

Decorating these cookies was a cinch too; they look so much better than when I try to decorate sugar cookies!

Because these cookies have no flour, they are perfect for gluten free friends. (Although sharing these cookies may be quite difficult, they really are that good!)

If you’re in the Philadelphia area, be sure to check out Christmas Village. It’s a great way to get in the holiday spirit while also getting some shopping done and eating/drinking delicious treats. Cheers!