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The holiday season is almost upon us which means it’s time to bake! These small and super easy Christmas cookies are the perfect addition to any sweets platter or treat bag for the holiday season. I like to get my Christmas baking done early ( or not at all), but realistically for most people Christmas baking can be a chore and is left to the last minute. That’s where these Toasted Hazelnut Meringue Cookies come in. Easily made start to finish in 30 minutes, they are a light and delicious alternative to all the heavy, cream rich desserts prevalent this time of year (not that there is anything wrong with a rich unhealthy dessert once in a while!)
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German Hazelnut Meringue Cookies
Based on an old German recipe my mother gave me, these Hazelnut Meringue Cookies only require 4 ingredients.
- Whole toasted hazelnuts -as garnish
- 2 eggwhites
- 125g white sugar
- 160g ground toasted hazelnuts
Simple eh!? You can toast the hazelnuts yourself or buy them pre-roasted if your short on time. I like buying the nuts whole with the shell on because you get a fresher tasting hazelnut and cracking them is always fun! Once cracked out of the shell gently toast on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes. You can remove the brown skin’ on the nuts by rubbing the toasted hazelnuts between to dry cloths. If you have trouble finding ground hazelnuts, you can blitz the hazelnuts yourself in a food mill or electric coffee grinder until powdery. Keep a few whole as a garnish on top of the cookies.
Making The Meringue Base
To start, whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form. I use my Kitchen Aid (affiliate)stand mixer for this (I use it to make bread dough, cookies, muffins), though you can use whatever you have available.
Add the ground hazelnuts to the whipped meringue, by folding under the ground nuts until evenly distributed.
Using a 1 Tbsp measure, scoop out globs of the batter and drop them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them sit for a minute or two, to slightly spread and form even round circles. Top each cookie with a toasted hazelnut as garnish.
Bake the Hazelnut Meringue Cookies at 325F for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can lift a cookie of the sheet without the middle starting to sag down. Cool the cookies on a wire rack to prevent them from going soggy.
That’s it! These simple cookies will crisp up as they cool and are the perfect (in my opinion) Christmas cookie! I love baking cookies throughout December, they make such excellent presents, and are ideal for bake exchanges! If you’re looking for more Christmas Baking, try these German Vanillekipferl Cookies, or my Canadian Nanaimo Bar recipe!
Tried the recipe? Take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest
Toasted Hazelnut Meringue Kisses
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toasted whole hazelnuts as garnish
- 160 grams ground hazelnuts
- 125 grams white sugar
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
- Whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Add the ground hazelnuts to the whipped meringue,folding under the ground nuts until evenly distributed.
- Using a 1 Tbsp measure, scoop out globs of the batter and drop them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them sit for a minute or two, to slightly spread and form even, round circles.
- Top each cookie with a toasted hazelnut as garnish.
- Bake the Hazelnut Meringue Cookies at 325F for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can lift a cookie of the sheet without the middle starting to sag down. Cool the cookies on a wire rack to prevent them from going soggy.
These are fantastic! Turned out exactly as directed.
Glad To here it Christina!
Loved these cookies, so easy to make and delicious. Also got lots of compliments and recipe requests
I’m glad you liked them so much!Thanks for letting me know!
Fabulous recipe! They’re easy to make, very tasty AND gluten free. I don’t think I can keep them just for Christmas baking~
Glad they worked out for you Joanne!
My husband is partly German and I know this recipe quite well! Every time he makes creme brulee and we have 8 egg whites to spare, this is my go-to recipe! Thanks for sharing your family’s version, I will give it a go… just need to make some creme brulee first!
Lovely cookies ! My daughter and I love meringue cookies ! Love the addition of hazel nuts. It looks really easy to make too ! Pinning it and will give it a try ! Thanks for sharing !
Your welcome. Let me know how they turn out!
Beautiful and delicious cookies! We have something similar in Italy called brutti ma buoni, with hazelnuts and walnuts mixed. Love them!
Do you have a recipe? I’d love to try them!
Those would look lovely on a Christmas platter! I find traditional cookies like this one are the ones people look forward to year after year.
They sure are.. These are one of my favorites!
So simple! Who would have thought these cute and tasty little cookies could be so easy to throw together! I bet that they taste delicious and I love that they’re also gluten and dairy-free!
I know! I love that they only use 4 ingredients.. Makes the prep and clean up go fast.
I love these; so simple and the meringue make them so light, I need to try! Thanks for posting, Markus
They really are so easy.. and delicious!