Brutti Ma Buoni (Ugly but Good Cookies)
Brutti ma buoni — “ugly but good” — describes these unevenly shaped but marvelously chewy hazelnut cookies.
Ingredients
- Egg Whites - 4
- Hazelnuts - 1 cup (5 ounces), toasted, peeled, and finely chopped
- Confectioner’s Sugar - 1 cup, plus confectioner’s sugar for dusting
- Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon, ground
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or heavy brown paper. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine the hazelnuts, 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, and cinnamon. Mix in the egg whites. Place the mixture over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and is light golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Using 2 teaspoons, scoop out the mixture and place rough mounds 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer the cookies and the paper to wire racks and let cool. The cookies will harden during cooling.
To serve: Dust the cookies with confectioner’s sugar
