The classic Swabian cookie—light as air, perfumed with cinnamon, smells like Christmas! The reserved egg mixture makes an icing on each cookie. The dough is quite sticky. If you are pressed for time, or don’t have a star cutter, drop by small spoonfuls on to the cookie sheet instead, then brush with the reserved egg mixture. They won’t look quite as elegant, but they will still taste great.
| 1½ c (14 oz) | unpeeled almonds |
| 3 | egg whites |
| 2 c | icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for decoration |
| 1 t | ground cinnamon |
Preheat the oven to 280°F. Prep baking sheets with parchment paper.
Finely chop or grind the almonds in a food processor Whip the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff. Gently fold in the sifted icing sugar to retain volume. Reserve 2 heaped tablespoons of this mixture. Gently stir the almonds and cinnamon into the egg and sugar mixture.
Sprinkle the work surface with confectioner’s sugar. Roll out the mixture to about ¼ inch thick. Using a smallish star cutter, cut out cookies and place them on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick parchment paper. Dip the cutter into confectioner’s sugar from time to time to stop the mixture from sticking to it. Brush each cookie with a little of the reserved egg mixture.
Bake for about 30 minutes until crisp on the outside. The cookies should still be a little soft in the center. Makes about 36 cookies, depending on size.