Flourless Butterless Italian Hazelnut Cookies (brutti Ma Buoni)

Total Time: 12 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• sliced hazelnuts (to garnish) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat to 325°f line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
• 2 pulse nuts and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. scrape into a large bowl.
• 3 beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
• 4 using a silicone spatula, fold the egg whites into the nut mixture. add vanilla and gently but thoroughly mix until combined.
• 5 transfer the mixture to a disposable piping bag and snip off the tip. pipe the batter on the silpat, making sure to keep a uniform size under 1 inch in diameter, as well as maintaining a fingers distance between cookies.
• 6 tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter, this will help spread the cookie and give a flat cookie with a good snap.
• 7 sprinkle the cookie batter with the sliced hazelnuts.
• 8 place the baking sheet in the centre of the oven and bake until golden brown, 5-7 minutes. switch the pans back to front. keep an eye on it; it goes from golden brown to brown very quickly, given the tiny size.
• 9 let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. gently transfer the butterless cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 10 store in an airtight container for upto a week. but i bet it won't last that long.