Zimtsterne, cinnamon stars, are classic German Christmas cookies. They are similar to gingerbread cookies, but made with ground almonds and flavored heavily with cinnamon. They are chewy on the inside and very crispy on the outside, simple to make, and glazed plainly with egg whites and sugar.
Mix in egg whites and rum, then knead by hand until fully combined.
2 egg whites, 1 tablespoon spiced rum
Sprinkle counter with powdered sugar and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out stars using a 2" star cookie cutter and transfer them to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Glaze Instructions
Beat egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form (this takes several minutes with an electric mixer).
pinch salt, 1 egg white
Gently fold in powdered sugar.
1 cup powdered sugar
Brush glaze onto unbaked cookies using a pastry brush or dip one side of the dough in a small bowl of glaze and use a small spatula to even the glaze out.
Bake glazed cookies for about 12 minutes. The cookies won't be completely set, but they will harden as they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
The cookies last for a couple of weeks at room temperature in a loosely covered container. They also freeze very well.If you don't want to use rum, you can use water or a spiced cider.