Cinnamon Stars

Called Zimtsterne in German, these cookies have a soft, chewy center, and the icing bakes into a lovely thin, crisp shell of meringue. As they bake and cool, they deliver an enveloping scent of warm spices—cinnamon, clove, and vanilla. Some extra time and patience in their preparation are required, more than some other cookie types, but they are worth the diligence.

Both the cookie dough and the meringue icing use egg white only. Save the yolks for Butter Cookies or Vanill