Toasted Hazelnut Meringue Cookies

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!

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Toasted Hazelnut Meringue Kisses

These German Hazelnut Meringue Cookies are light and oh so delicious! Perfect for the holidays and they only take half an hour to make! #hazelnut #cookies #christmas #baking #german #glutenfree

Course Baking

Cuisine German

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Author Markus Mueller

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup toasted whole hazelnuts as garnish
• 160 grams ground hazelnuts
• 125 grams white sugar
• 2 egg whites

Instructions

1. Whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.
2. Add the ground hazelnuts to the whipped meringue,folding under the ground nuts until evenly distributed.
3. 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.
4. Top each cookie with a toasted hazelnut as garnish.
5. 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.

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