To celebrate Saint Martin, which falls on November 11th, I thought of making hazelnut cookies, delicious dessert pastries made with hazelnuts and egg whites. They are very easy, exquisite, very fragrant, ideal for coffee, tea, or as a gift idea for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Saint Martin was considered the most important festival for farmers who spent it eating and drinking in joy, as from November 12th the so-called “Lent of Saint Martin” would begin, a period of penance and fasting that preceded Christmas. In autumn, the agricultural activities related to the land were concluded, and after finishing the old wine, they started drinking the “new” one. In my area, there isn’t a true traditional recipe for Saint Martin, but there is, however, a typical product, hazelnuts. The territory where I live is rich in them; they are typical autumn fruits and the farmers of these areas eat them fresh or toasted, carefully preserving them to enjoy even when they are no longer in season.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 16 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 5.6 oz Toasted hazelnuts
- 2.8 oz All-purpose flour
- 2 Egg whites
- 2.1 oz Sugar
- 1 pinch Fine salt
- to taste Orange zest
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
Preparation
Pour the egg whites and a pinch of fine salt into a bowl.
Start whipping them with an electric mixer. As soon as they reach the consistency of whipped cream, add the granulated sugar and continue to whip until they are firm and fluffy.
Meanwhile, place the toasted hazelnuts and a level tablespoon of granulated sugar in a food processor and grind them until you get a fine grit.
The sugar helps prevent the hazelnuts from releasing too much oil.
Add the sifted flour, the grated zest of an orange to the chopped hazelnuts, and mix to combine them.
Add the flour and hazelnut mix to the egg whites one tablespoon at a time, using a spatula and with a gentle motion from bottom to top. You will get a firm and well-blended mixture.
Preheat the oven to 392°F.With the help of a pastry bag with a star nozzle, form our cookies and place them on a baking tray with parchment paper. You can also use two teaspoons to form our cookies.
Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for about 5/7 minutes at most.Take them out and let them cool before enjoying them. The aroma that you will smell throughout the house will be irresistible.
Hazelnuts can also be toasted in the home oven; here you will find the description of the very easy procedure, accessible to everyone.Bon appetit
