Cinnamon Almond Star Biscuits
Inspired by techniques from BBC Good Food.
Chewy, flourless German star biscuits made from ground almonds bound with a lemony meringue and warmed with cinnamon and ginger. A quarter of the meringue is kept back and spread over each star, so it bakes into a crisp, snow-white glaze that stays pale.
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Method
- 1
Heat the oven and whip the whites. Heat the oven to 150 °C (130 °C fan) and line a large baking tray, or two smaller ones, with baking paper. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until foamy, then add the lemon juice and keep whisking until they hold soft peaks.
- 2
Make the meringue. Add the 200 g icing sugar gradually, whisking all the time, and keep going until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Spoon out roughly a quarter of it into a small bowl and set aside for the topping.
- 3
Mix the dough. Add the ground almonds, cinnamon, ginger and lemon zest to the meringue left in the large bowl and stir until it comes together as a stiff, slightly sticky dough.
- 4
Roll and cut the stars. Dust a sheet of baking paper with icing sugar, set the dough on it and dust the top too. Lay a second sheet of baking paper over and roll the dough out to about 5 mm thick. Peel off the top sheet and stamp out stars with the 5 cm cutter, cutting as many as you can, and set them on the lined tray.
- 5
Top and bake. Spread a thin layer of the reserved meringue over the top of each star so the whole surface is covered, loosening the meringue with a few drops of water if it is too stiff to spread. Bake for 12-15 min, until the topping is set and dry to the touch but still white, not browned.
- 6
Cool. Leave the biscuits to cool completely on the tray before lifting them off and storing.
Storage
Once completely cool, keep in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Free sugars
6.8 g per serving
13.6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 27.2 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large baking tray (or 2 smaller ones)
- baking paper
- large mixing bowl
- electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- fine grater
- rolling pin
- 5 cm star-shaped cutter
- small palette knife or teaspoon
- airtight tin
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 78 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 8.8 g |
| of which sugars | 7.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 6.8 g |
| Fat | 4.4 g |
| of which saturates | 0.3 g |
| Fibre | 0.9 g |
| Salt | 0.01 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
