A friend who lives in Rome sent me a package of these cookies by mail because she knows that I am always on the hunt for a good cookie. These cookies are called brutti ma buoni in Italian or “ugly but good”. What they lack in attractiveness they make up for in taste and texture.
The cookie is double cooked – on the stovetop and in the oven – changing the nature of the dough and producing a firm, craggy outside and a slight chew of the dense middle. Most recipes (there are many versions!) include only three ingredients – hazelnuts, sugar, egg whites – but the proportions of each differ depending on the recipe and some skip the stovetop cooking step altogether. After lots of research, the version below is the most authentic.
Here are some step by step instructions:
Measure out your ingredients. This will ensure a smoother and faster process.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Whip the egg whites and salt to soft peaks (they barely hold their shape) and then add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until firm peaks. Check out my page on whipping egg whites for more help on this step.
Fold in the ground hazelnuts into the egg whites and then scrape the mixture into a wide, heavy saucepan and set over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the batter comes away from the sides of the pan, about 5-8 minutes. Cooking the mixture will thicken and darken it from beige to a light golden brown.
Remove the pan from the heat. Leave the dough to rest for five minutes.
Use two small spoons to form small walnut-sized mounds – one spoon to scoop up batter and the other to scrape it off the first spoon, rounding it somewhat as you do. You can avoid the two-spoon step and use a single spoon to scoop out the dough; the cookies will be slightly more “ugly” but they will taste the same. Drop the mounds onto the prepared sheet, making sure to space them apart from each other.
Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake the cookies at 150C (300F) until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes.
Remove and cool completely before serving. Serve with coffee or tea.
