Halloween Ghost Spice Cookies (Zimtsterne Recipe) 👻

Name: Halloween Ghost Spice Cookies (Zimtsterne Recipe) 👻
Total time: 1200 s
Yield: Makes ~19 three inch cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large egg whites, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from about half a lemon); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 and 2/3 cups (200 g) powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 and 2/3 cups (256 g) superfine almond flour; 2 teaspoons (4 g) cinnamon; 1 teaspoon (2 g) gingerbread spice (Recipe is below); 1 Tablespoon (6 g) ground ginger; 2 teaspoons (4 g) cinnamon; 1 and 1/4 teaspoons (2.5 g) ground nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground allspice; 1 large egg white, at room temperature; 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from about half a lemon); Pinch salt; 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup (100 g) powdered sugar

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

Zimtsterne (“cinnamon star” in German) is a dense, gluten-free, cinnamon and spice cookie that is traditionally made for the Christmas season. I didn’t want to wait until Christmas to make these, so I made Halloween ghosts! The crisp, white meringue icing works perfectly for these cute little ghost treats!
I’m definitely adding these to my Christmas cookie list, and will make them in the traditional star shape. They are slightly chewy with a wonderful blend of warm spices. Plus, they’re a great option for one of my friends who can’t eat dairy or gluten!
🎃Happy Halloween!! 🎃

This recipe came from “Bake From Scratch.” Note that the original recipe did not make nearly enough icing, so I had to make more. I included this extra icing in the recipe below.
#Holiday #Spooky #Autumn #Fall #Dessert #Fun

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

Saved

Ingredients

15 to 20 minutes

Makes ~19 three inch cookies

2large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoonfresh lemon juice (from about half a lemon)
1/4 teaspoonsalt
1and 2/3 cups (200 g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoonvanilla extract
2and 2/3 cups (256 g) superfine almond flour
2 teaspoons (4 g)cinnamon
1 teaspoon (2 g)gingerbread spice (Recipe is below)
Gingerbread Spice (Combine the following, but only use 1 teaspoon in the recipe)
1 Tablespoon (6 g)ground ginger
2 teaspoons (4 g)cinnamon
1and 1/4 teaspoons (2.5 g) ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon (1 g)ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon (1 g)ground allspice
Additional Icing
1large egg white, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoonfresh lemon juice (from about half a lemon)
Pinchsalt
1/2 cupplus 1/3 cup (100 g) powdered sugar

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Steps

15 to 20 minutes

1

Assemble the ingredients and allow the egg whites to come to room temperature.
Make the Gingerbread Spice by combining the spices listed above in a small bowl. You’ll only use 1 teaspoon of it in the dough.
2

Beat egg whites with a hand-held mixer at low speed for 15 seconds. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until foamy.
3

Add lemon juice plus a pinch of salt. Beat until opaque (about 1 minute).
4

Gradually add powdered sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. The meringue mixture will be thick and glossy.
5

Transfer 2 Tablespoons of the meringue to a small container. Cover and refrigerate for later. This will be for the icing.
6

Beat a teaspoon of vanilla into the remaining meringue.
7

Add the dry ingredients to the meringue, and beat on low speed until they are incorporated.
8

Dust your work surface with powdered sugar, then fold and knead the dough for a few minutes. You can add up to 3 more Tablespoons of almond flour if you think your dough is too wet. When you’re done, the dough should be sticky, but not wet and gooey!
9

Divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a circle that is approximately 1/4 inch (~6 mm) thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight.
10

Before you start rolling the cookie dough, I recommend making additional icing since the 2 Tablespoons reserved earlier is nowhere near enough to cover all the cookies.
Use the amounts specified in the ingredient list for “Additional Icing” above, and follow steps 2 through 4, making the meringue just as you did when you started making the dough.
11

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
12

Work with one circle of dough at a time, keeping the other one chilled.
Ensure that the dough is evenly 1/4” thick. (If needed, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to achieve the desired thickness.)
Cut out as many cookies as you can, then re-roll the scraps to make more cookies.
13

Put about two teaspoons of icing on each cookie, and spread it smooth with an offset spatula. Place the iced cookies onto the prepared sheets. The cookies will not spread while baking, so they can be placed fairly close together.
14

Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes. The sides of the cookies should firm up, but the meringue icing should remain white. Try not to let the icing brown! (My cookies browned ever so slightly and I removed them from the oven after 16 minutes of baking).
15

If you like, you can add some personality and expressions with the use of some melted chocolate.
BOO to you!! 👻