Zimtsterne

These are traditional German Christmas cookies, meaning cinnamon stars, made with only 4 ingredients. They have great flavor, they are crunchy yet soft and are very easy to eat.

First make a meringue with:
3 egg whites and 250g sifted powdered sugar
Start whipping the whites with a mixer, slowly add the sifted sugar as you go, then whip to medium stiff peaks.
Put 1 cup of the meringue aside, it will be used to put on top of the cookie before baking.

In a bowl put 300g almond meal and 3T ground cinnamon, fold in the meringue. This must be a firm ball, soft enough to absorb everything, but firm enough to roll, and not sticky. If it is overly sticky, then add more almond meal to make it firmer.

Sift a thick layer of powdered sugar on a clean surface, and roll out half of the ball to about a 1/4 inch, dust with powdered sugar to avoid any sticking. With a star shape cookie cutter make imprints on the dough, and place the stars on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. They will spread a little. With an offset spatula put a thin layer of meringue on top of the stars. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Bake at 250F for about 20 minutes. They should dry out, but still be soft in the middle.