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Brutti ma Buoni: Ugly but Good Italian Cookies
Brutti ma Buoni (Ugly but Good Cookies) are delicious Italian cookies typical of Northern Italy, especially Piedmont. They are free of yeast, milk and butter and also gluten-free because they don't contain wheat flour.The recipe is very easy and quick to make with very few ingredients: egg whites, sugar and hazelnuts, nothing else! It takes a few minutes to make a meringue with the egg whites and sugar, then add the chopped hazelnuts, finally bake for about 40 minutes.This brutti ma buoni recipe get its name from their rough and therefore ugly "irregular" appearance, but absolutely delicious to the palate.
Ingredients
- 150 g hazelnuts ~5 oz whole, peeled or raw small chopped hazelnuts
- 120 g granulated sugar ½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons
- 75 g egg whites 4 tablespoons, (about 2 medium eggs), at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or the seeds of ½ vanilla bean, optional
Instructions
- First, grind the hazelnuts with an electric food processor and set aside. PLEASE NOTE: The degree to which you grind the hazelnuts is subjective and depends on your taste. Some people prefer cookies with a softer texture and grind the hazelnuts finer. Those who prefer a more rustic texture and look will grind the hazelnuts more coarsely or use a ready-made hazelnut flour as recommended in the ingredients.
- Take two eggs at room temperature and separate the whites from the yolks.
- Then beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. You don't need the yolks for this recipe but you can reuse them for other recipes. For example, to make a delicious crema pasticcera!
- Add the sugar a little at a time while keeping whisking.
- If you like, at this step you can flavor with half a teaspoon of vanilla extract or the seeds of half a vanilla pod. You will end up with a smooth and shiny meringue.
- Add the chopped hazelnuts a little at a time to the egg whites and mix gently with a spatula. The mixture should be thick and foamy.
- Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Take a scoop of mixture and place it on the baking sheet. Arrange the spoonfuls of dough at a distance from each other.
- It's not necessary to be very precise, but try to make them all the same size.
- Bake in a preheated static oven at 150°C (300°F) on the medium-high rack for about 15 minutes.
- When you see the typical crust and the cookies are starting to brown, reduce the temperature to 120°C (250°F) and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 58kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.3mg
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