I’ve been on a postcard kick lately, swapping postcards between other fountain pen users on a fountain pen forum, which is where I found out about the postcrossing site.

On postcrossing, you sign up and send out postcards (new users are restricted to having 5 postcards “in the air” at a time) to random people around the world, and then receive random postcards from around the world. It’s quite interesting.

One of my last postcards included a German cookie recipe for cinnamon stars and get this, it’s completely gluten free! Naturally! Here’s the funny thing - I forgot to list on the site that I’m gluten intolerant. So it’s a lovely coincidence.

I’m excited. I can’t wait to try them.

Here’s the recipe:

Cinnamon Stars

Cinnamon stars are a classic German Christmas cookie. They are rolled and cut into star shapes and are traditionally topped with white sugared icing. Unusual about these cookies is that they don’t use flour. That makes them a good holiday alternative for anybody with wheat allergies.

3 egg white
pinch of salt
1 cup + 2 T sugar
2 1/2 c almonds, ground (with skin)
2 t cinnamon
1/2 T lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar, for rolling

Beat egg whites together with salt until stiff. Slowly add sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the sugar and egg white mixture. Add to the remaining mixture the ground almonds, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Form into a ball and allow to chill for 1 hour.

Remove 2 cups of dough from the refrigerator. Spread a 1/4 inch layer of powdered sugar over the work surface and roll the ball in the sugar until covered. Roll into a flat disk about 1/4 inch thick. The dough will have a sticky consistency; continue to add powdered sugar as needed to make the mass workable. Use a star shaped cookie cutter or other forms if desired and place cut shapes on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. With a pastry brush, brush a small amount of the reserved egg white mixture onto the top of each cookie. Bake at 300 degrees F for 25 minutes.