Vegan Cinnamon Cookies

These Vegan Cinnamon Cookies are a sweet and nutty treat that are shaped like traditional German Christmas biscuits called "Zimtsterne".

The cookies are made without eggs and have a base of almonds and hazelnuts, with the flavors of cinnamon and lemon adding warmth and zest. Add this delicious vegan cookie recipe to your holiday baking list!

Are you a fan of Christmas cookies? If so, you've got to try these vegan cinnamon cookies! They're a traditional treat in Germany, but with a twist: they're completely eggless. That means they're perfect for anyone who's trying to eat more plant-based foods.

These cookies are super easy to make, and they only require a few ingredients. In fact, you might be surprised at how simple the recipe is! And the best part? They taste amazing. They've got that classic cinnamon flavor that's perfect for the holiday season.

The traditional Zimtsterne use egg white as part of their recipe - but trust me, you won't miss the eggs in these cookies. They hold together just fine without them!

So if you're looking for a new holiday treat to try, give these vegan cinnamon cookies a shot. We're pretty sure you won't regret it!

Ingredients

• icing sugar / powdered sugar
• cinnamon - I used ground cinnamon from Schwartz
• cold water
• fresh lemon juice
• ground almonds
• ground hazelnuts

Instructions (Step-by-Step)

Creating the dough for the vegan cinnamon stars

To create the dough base for these vegan cinnamon stars, simply combine all ingredients for the cookies in a large mixing bowl. It should result in a firm and slightly sticky dough, but you should be able to handle it with your hands. If it's appearing a little too wet, simply add in a little more icing sugar to the mix until you get a texture you can work with.

Roll out the dough on a non-stick surface - I like using a silicone baking mat for these occasions, just make sure you can easily remove the cutouts from the surface later. Roll out the dough to roughly 1cm thickness.

Cutting your star shaped biscuits

Using star-shaped cookie cutters (preferably small ones) carefully cut out your Vegan cinnamon stars. Carefully transfer them to a separate baking sheet, assemble the excess, roll out again, and continue to create star shapes until you run out of dough. Set the baking sheets with the star cookies aside in a warm and dry place and allow for them to air-dry for roughly 4 hours. This step is very important to ensure that your cookies can firm up and stay in shape. Do not skip this step, otherwise, your cookies might turn out crumbly.

Baking the German Cinnamon Stars

After 4 hrs, pre-heat your oven to 250C and place your cookies into the hot oven for 3-5 minutes. This is a high heat and quick baking process that we're using for these cookies, so please stay nearby to keep an eye on your vegan cinnamon stars to ensure they don't burn. The corners of the cookies shouldn't burn either, so closely watch your cookies and remove them from the oven if they start to brown too much. 

Set the baked cookies onto a cooling rack and allow for them to cool almost entirely.

The sugar icing for the vegan Christmas cookies

In the meantime, prepare the coating for the biscuits: Simply combine icing sugar with some cinnamon and a small amount of plant milk (or water). I personally prefer to use plant milk for this as it gives a nice and white colour for your icing, whereas water would result in a more see-through icing for your cookies - down to your personal preference of course. 

Here's the ratio that I use for my icing:

• 5 tablespoon icing sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½-1 teaspoon plant milk

Only add in a little liquid add a time and adjust with tiny amounts until your icing gets a thick but pourable texture.

Gently coat your cookies with the icing mix. You can do so this by spooning small amounts onto the top of the cookies, or by carefully dipping them into the mix. Alternatively, you can also transfer the icing mixture to a piping bag with a thin pointy nozzle and pipe it onto your cookies. The latter often turns out to be the neatest looking option for this Vegan Cinnamon Stars recipe (and I've tried them all ;)). 

Allow for the coating to set, then transfer your cookies to an airtight container or eat them immediately.

Related Recipes

Looking for some more vegan Christmas bakes? Try my Vegan Gingerbread House or bake some German Christmas cookies, such as my Vegan Butter Cookies or Vegan Spritz Cookies!

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📖 Recipe Card

Vegan Cinnamon Stars Recipe (German Christmas Biscuits)

Romy

Deliciously sweet and nutty Vegan Cinnamon Stars Recipe - created in the style of the traditional German Christmas Biscuits 'Zimtsterne'. Created with an almond and hazelnut base and with flavours of warming cinnamon and zesty lemon.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 3 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 3 minutes mins

Course Christmas Cookies, Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine German

Servings 12 cookies

Calories 181 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the cookies:

• 200 g powdered sugar icing sugar
• 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 8 tablespoon cold water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 150 g ground almonds
• 200 g ground hazelnuts

For the coating:

• icing sugar
• a little water or soy milk
• cinnamon

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the cookies. The dough should be firm and a little sticky, but you should be able to handle it with your hands. If it's appearing a little too wet, simply add in a little more powdered sugar.
• On a non-stick surface roll out the dough to about 1cm thickness. Ideally use a baking sheet or baking mat - or kitchen foil, so that you can easily remove the cutouts from the surface afterward.
• Use a small star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the stars. Gently place them on a separate baking sheet and let them dry for about 4 hours. This step is important so that they firm up in their shape before being baked - if you skip this step, they might crumble.
• Once the 4 hours have elapsed, place the cookies in the preheated oven at 250 degrees for 3-5 minutes. This is a hot and quick baking process. Keep an eye on the cookies to ensure not to burn the corners of the stars.
• Place the stars on a cooling rack and prepare the coating by combining 5 tablespoon of powdered sugar with ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ water (or plant milk). Add in little drops of liquid whilst stirring until you get a smooth paste. If you run out of the coating, create a little more. The amount you need varies depending on how big your stars are and how many you cut out.
• Gently coat the cookies by either dipping them into the coating mixture or piping the coating onto them (which often turns out as the neater option!
• Place the cookies back onto the rack to dry the coating and once they're completely dry you can transfer them into a cookie tin.

Keyword cinnamon cookies, german christmas cookies, glutenfree cinnamon cookies, vegan christmas cookies, vegan cinnamon cookies, vegan cinnamon stars, vegane zimtsterne

 These homemade vegan cinnamon stars make the perfect Christmas gift! Who wouldn't love to receive something so delicious and made with love?

More Christmas bakes to try out:

• Coconut Pumpkin Pie Recipe
• Vegan Cinnamon Doughnuts