UGLY BUT GOOD ALMOND COOKIES
After days spent baking strudels, frying mushrooms and cooking creams, as usual I had a ton of egg whites left over!
To be honest, I used to pour them down the sink; I felt bad but I really didn’t know how to reuse them. Truth is their slightly “lepegosa” (slimy and sticky, editor’s note), as we say in Genoa, even disgusted me a bit.
Then, with a passion for cooking, the reading of countless books, and meetings with other food bloggers, a world opened up… of recipes, I mean.
There were many preparations I had never even approached thinking they were difficult and beyond me, but it was enough to try and I realized they were actually very doable.
One of these that gave me considerable satisfaction and joy because they were my favorite little sweets as a child are the “brutti ma buoni.”
Meringue-based cookies, crumbly and crunchy, typical of the Piedmont and Lombardy traditions, irregular in shape and therefore unjustly called ugly.
What I’ll prepare today is an almond variation, which I adore, lightly toasted.
You will bake “brutti ma buoni” that are both crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth, irresistibly good.
Oh, I almost forgot, these sweets are obviously gluten-free.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: about 24 'brutti ma buoni'
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz (about 2 1/8 cups) almonds (lightly toasted)
- 10.6 oz (about 2 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 1 packet vanillin
Meringue preparation
Begin by roughly pulsing the almonds; they should not turn into a flour but should remain in slightly larger pieces.
Then, in a bowl using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.
When you see the egg whites starting to form, add the vanillin and begin adding the sugar by tablespoons, continuing to beat.
Once you have added all the sugar and obtained a firm, fairly glossy meringuegently fold in the almonds using a spatula from bottom to top so as not to deflate it.
Transfer the mixture to a wide heavy-bottomed saucepan and begin cooking the meringue over very low heat, stirring continuously for at least 10–12 minutes.
The mixture will dry and firm up and will take on a brownish color.
At this point take a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.Form small mounds using a spoon and place them on the baking sheet a little apart from each other because they will spread slightly during baking.
Bake in a convection oven at 302°F for 15 minutes, then switch to a conventional oven, reduce the temperature to 266°F and continue baking for another 30 minutes.
After this time take them out of the oven, carefully turn them over being careful not to break them or burn yourself, and bake them for 5 minutes upside down.
Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before enjoying.-
STORAGE
They keep for about a week stored in an airtight container
TIPS AND VARIATIONS
Instead of almonds you can use walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios; you’ll still get excellent “brutti ma buoni”.
The most delicate phase is the stovetop cooking. It’s important to stir the mixture continuously with a spoon to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
