• If you don’t have unblanched almond meal, blend the raw almonds with their skins to a fine meal.
• In a large bowl, combine almond flour, unblanched almond meal, sugar, finely chopped candied orange and lemon peel, allspice mix or cinnamon, and softened butter.
• Mix well until smooth.
• Add the egg white gradually, mixing with each addition. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
• Knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and slightly elastic.
• Roll out the dough on a silicone mat to a thickness of about 4 millimeters (1/8 inch), or up to 1 centimeter (3/8 inch) for thicker cookies. Cover the dough with cling film or a cut-out freezer bag to prevent the rolling pin from sticking.
• Cut out stars using a cookie cutter, then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Let the cookies air-dry for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F).
• Note: keep an eye on the baking time, as the cookies should barely brown if they are to remain soft.
• Carefully remove the cookies from the oven with a metal spatula, then place on a wire rack.
• Allow to cool completely before glazing.

Royal icing for decoration

• Mix powdered sugar with a little egg white and lemon juice. Mix well, gradually adding a little more egg white. The icing will liquefy as you mix vigorously. You want a ribbon-like glaze that flows slowly into the bowl.
• Note: if the icing becomes too runny, add a little more powdered sugar.
• Place in a piping bag and make a small hole in the bag. You can buy a piping bag with a special royal icing tip. Outline the cookies before filling the center, then spread with a skewer.
• Place the Christmas stars on a wire rack and allow to dry before storing in a tin. You can also decorate them differently: double the line around the edge of the cookie, leaving the center empty, then decorate the four corners of the star with multicolored sugar pearls.
• I hope you enjoy this recipe for gluten-free cinnamon almond Christmas stars and feel inspired to give it a try. These cookies are a true delight: soft and melt-in-your-mouth, with a slightly crackly texture from the icing.