Cinnamon Jewel Stars

It's up to you.

13 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Weigh whites and sugars separately

   Prepare a perfectly clean and dry bowl, a beater and a small bowl. Separate the whites and yolks from two eggs, putting each white in the small bowl before pouring it into the bowl; this makes it possible to remove a shell before mixing. Weigh 60 g of whites. Keep the 160 g of meringue icing sugar separate from the 20 g intended for display.

2. Mounting the whites gradually

   Whisk the 60 g of whites at low speed for 1 minute, then slightly increase until a fine white foam is obtained. Add the 160 g of icing sugar in three additions, whisking about 30 seconds between each addition. Continue until the meringue is shiny and forms a tip that holds at the end of the whisk; do not stop at the stage of a simply liquid and sparkling mixture.

3. Reserve the meringue of icing

   Take three tablespoons of meringue and put them in a small closed box in the refrigerator. This portion will only be used to cover the cookies: do not mix almonds or cinnamon. Scrape the whisks over the large bowl to recover the remaining meringue, then take a spatula for the rest; the beater is no longer useful.

4. Form the almond paste

   Pour 250 g of ground almonds and 6 g of cinnamon over the remaining meringue. Add the 10 ml of lemon juice, then mix with the spatula going from the bottom to the top and scraping the walls. You must get a dense and sticky paste, without dry powder areas; gather it into a disc and cover the bowl or wrap the paste in baking paper.

5. Let stand for 45 minutes in the refrigerator

   Place the dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to firm up. Prepare a baking sheet, a roll and a 5 cm star cookie cutter. At the exit of the cold, the dough must be able to be moved in a block with the spatula; if it still sticks strongly, work it between two sheets of paper rather than adding ground almonds.

6. Spread without losing the 8 mm thickness

   Preheat the oven to 150 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan). Take a little of the 20 g of display icing sugar and lightly sprinkle with two sheets of baking paper; place the dough between them and roll it down to 8 mm. Regularly rotates the paper to keep a uniform thickness. Keep the rest of the icing sugar to prevent the cookie cutter from sticking, without pouring it into the dough.

7. Cut 24 stars

   Remove the sheet from the top and push the cookie cutter vertically. Lift each star with a thin spatula and place it on the plate, leaving 2 cm between the cookies. Wipe the cookie cutter and lightly re-pour it if the dough hangs. Gather the offcuts to finish the 24 stars; shape any small surplus into cookie witness, to cook next and to remove if it colors faster.

8. Spread the reserved meringue

   Take the meringue box out of the refrigerator and gently stir it with a spoon, without whipping it again. Spread a thin layer over the 24 stars, from the center to the tips, with the back of a small spoon. The icing should cover the top without sinking to the sides. The 20 g of sugar left on the paper should not be added to this icing.

9. Cook and let firm

   Bake in the lower part of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes. The top should remain white and the base slightly taken; the sponge may still look supple when you take out the plate. Let it cool completely on it for 30-40 minutes, without trying to lift it hot. When a star takes off without deforming and its underside is cold, the decor can begin.

10. Preparing the stones of the brooch

    Counts 24 unsalted shelled pistachios and checks that there are no remaining pieces of shell. Cut the 12 g of cranberries into 48 small pieces, or two per star, and group them near the pistachios. Lay the stars completely cold on a plate, white icing up. The decor should fit in the center, not on the more fragile points.

11. Melt the collage chocolate

    Chop 35 g of white chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan containing a little hot water, keeping the bowl clear of the water. Melt over a very low heat, stirring. Remove the bowl when the chocolate has almost melted and stir off the heat until smooth. Wipe the bottom of the bowl; no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Let it cool for 2 minutes, then use a small spoon or a fine-opening cone. Plan a small drop per fruit rather than a large mass that would hide the icing.

12. Fix the three fruits in the center

    Place a drop of white chocolate in the center of a star and lay a pistachio flat on it. Add two smaller drops on either side and fix two pieces of cranberry. Press very lightly with the fingertip so that the fruits adhere, then start again on the 24 stars. Spread the 35 g of chocolate without covering the rest of the biscuit; any surplus can freeze in small pallets on paper.

13. Allow to be taken and served

    Let it take 20 to 30 minutes in a cool room, until the fruit doesn't move when you move a star. Lift the cookies with a spatula and present them flat, without stacking them on small groups of fruits. Their white icing and contours must remain visible. To store them, separate the layers of baking paper and close the box after full cooling.