Recipes
Brutti ma Buoni (Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies)
These four-ingredient treats get their glossy exterior and chewy texture from an airy meringue.
- Makes
20 cookies
- Time
1 hour 10 minutes
The Italian name of these chewy, flourless cookies, brutti ma buoni, translates to “ugly but good,” a reference to their somewhat lumpy appearance and irresistible chocolate-hazelnut flavor. Their chewy, crackly texture comes from egg whites, which are whipped with sugar to stiff peaks before the cocoa and chopped hazelnuts are folded in.
Featured in “A Love Letter to Gianduja, the Perfect Union of Hazelnuts and Milk Chocolate” by Simon Bajada.
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. cocoa powder
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (5½ oz.) finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
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Instructions
Step 1
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-
high until soft peaks form, 2–4 minutes. Gradually whisk in the sugar, and when the meringue is nearly stiff, gradually sift in the cocoa. Continue beating to stiff peaks, 2–3 minutes more. Gently fold in the nuts.
Step 2
Transfer the mixture to a small pot, turn the heat to low, and cook, frequently using a silicone spatula to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot, until softened and beginning to brown, 5–6 minutes. Remove from the heat, set aside to cool slightly, then refrigerate, uncovered, until the batter has cooled and solidified, about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Position racks in the top and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 300°F. Use a tablespoon to shape the dough into approximately 20 balls. On two parchment-lined baking sheets, space the balls 1½ inches apart. Bake, switching and rotating the trays halfway through, until the cookies’ surfaces are glossy and dry but the interior remains soft, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium- high until soft peaks form, 2–4 minutes. Gradually whisk in the sugar, and when the meringue is nearly stiff, gradually sift in the cocoa. Continue beating to stiff peaks, 2–3 minutes more. Gently fold in the nuts.
- Transfer the mixture to a small pot, turn the heat to low, and cook, frequently using a silicone spatula to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot, until softened and beginning to brown, 5–6 minutes. Remove from the heat, set aside to cool slightly, then refrigerate, uncovered, until the batter has cooled and solidified, about 20 minutes.
- Position racks in the top and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 300°F. Use a tablespoon to shape the dough into approximately 20 balls. On two parchment-lined baking sheets, space the balls 1½ inches apart. Bake, switching and rotating the trays halfway through, until the cookies’ surfaces are glossy and dry but the interior remains soft, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
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