Tucked away in the rolling green hills south of Auckland, in the small rural community of Ararimu, is an old villa that sparkles at Christmas. As you walk down the country garden path, life-sized reindeer form a welcoming party on the lawn. Step on to the home’s large verandah, look down the hallway and it’s like a first glimpse of wonderland.

 

 

Once inside, a fantasy world unfolds. There’s a Christmas tree that constantly changes colour, an entirely white Christmas tree, another vintage tree covered in antique decorations and, finally, a Victorian-themed tree adorned with toys. Each tree in the Voegelin home tells a story, says Wendy Voegelin. And all around the house are her touches of seasonal celebration: a display of scented candles and fresh flowers, intricately detailed decorations. Everything adds to the cheerful, joyful atmosphere.

 

Wendy and her husband Andreas love Christmas and, even more, they love to share the season with family and friends.

 

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Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars)
Zimtsterne are popular in Switzerland and Germany at Christmas. You can buy them in beautifully decorated bags from Swiss konditorai, where the smell is absolutely divine, says Wendy. This recipe is from Andreas’s mum, who first introduced Wendy to them. Now the couple make them every Christmas to share with friends.
 
4 x size 6 egg whites
Small pinch of salt
250g icing sugar
3 dessertspoons ground cinnamon
1 dessertspoon lemon juice
350g ground almonds (or a combination of ground hazelnuts and macadamias)
 
Place egg whites and salt in a clean bowl and beat to stiff peaks. Add icing sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. Put aside 4 heaped tablespoons for topping.

 

Add cinnamon, lemon juice and ground nuts to remaining mixture and stir to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. (The dough will be a little fiddly to roll out and cut but add some extra ground nuts if it is very sticky.)
Roll out to about 7mm thick between baking paper sprinkled with icing sugar and cut out shapes with star cutters – Wendy uses 3cm and 5cm cutters. (It may help to dip the cutter into hot water each time you cut.) Place biscuits on a lined baking tray and leave to dry for several hours or overnight.

 

Preheat oven to 120˚C. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of each biscuit with reserved meringue mixture. Bake 40 minutes or until firm but not coloured. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks (the flavour improves with keeping). Makes 30-40 biscuits