Scrumptious Cinnamon Snowflakes

The original recipe is another one of my grandma's and is for very traditional German Christmas cookies called 'Zimtsterne' (Cinnamon Stars). But I wanted snowflakes. And I wanted them *pink*.

Makes roughly 30-40 snowflakes

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
250g icing sugar (1 1/2 c)
Seeds of 2 vanilla beans
1-2 drops almond essence
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
400g ground almonds or hazelnuts (I used a mixture of both) (1 1/2 c)

1. Preheat oven to 140˚C (275 degrees F). Line 2 trays with baking paper.

2. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the icing sugar one tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is incorporated. Take two tablespoons of this mixture and place in a small separate bowl to use later in step 4.

3. Add 150g (1/2 c) of the nuts, and all the other ingredients to the remaining of your egg white mixture. Mix on a low speed. Add the rest of the nuts and now use your hands to mix well, until a ball of dough forms.

4. Place the dough on a surface dusted with icing sugar and roll out until it is only roughly 5mm thick. Cut out your snowflakes, place on the prepared trays and brush with the two tablespoons of egg white mixture you set aside earlier. Place tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the snowflakes start to turn golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven. The middle of the snowflakes should be soft to the touch. Place the snowflakes, still on the baking paper, on a wire rack to cool. Once cool, gently peel the snowflakes off the baking paper.

Tips:

- Dip your cookie cutter in water between each use to get perfect shapes each time and prevent the dough from sticking.

- Store your baked snowflakes in a tin to keep them moist.  

Recipe Source: http://www.mowielicious.com/home/2009/12/christmas-cookies-week-scrumptious-cinnamon-snowflakes.html