BRUTTI MA BUONI hazelnuts italian cookies
Brutti ma buoni (translated as “ugly but good”) are delicious biscuits made with hazelnuts and egg whites typical of Northern Italy, especially Piedmont.
They get their name from the “bumpy” appearance, rough and almost ugly, but they are absolutely delicious
With a very light and crumbly consistency; crunchy on the outside, slightly soft on the inside, they literally melt in your mouth like meringues where you sometimes encounter chopped hazelnuts!
Like any traditional recipe, there are different versions depending on the Italian region in which they are made. There are “Brutti ma Buoni” preparations with hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts.
Today is my grandmother’s recipe that she always prepared for hazelnut-based biscuits.
It’s a very quick and easy preparation: just 3 ingredients (hazelnuts, egg white and icing sugar) and a few minutes. You make a meringue with egg whites and sugar then add the chopped hazelnuts, and finally bake in the oven!
Follow my advice and you will prepare homemade Brutti ma Buoni (Ugly but good) fabulous and crumbly just like the ones bought in an italian pastry shop.
Excellent to serve as a snack or after dinner and also perfect as a gift because they keep for a long time.
With this basic recipe you can modify the ingredients according to your tastes: prepare Brutti ma buoni hazelnuts, almonds or nuts or make them even more delicious by covering them with dark chocolate
BRUTTI MA BUONI hazelnuts italian cookies and other Italian cookies:
Ingredients
- Power 311,55 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 34,94 (g) of which sugars 30,65 (g)
- Proteins 6,09 (g)
- Fat 18,23 (g) of which saturated 1,34 (g)of which unsaturated 16,07 (g)
- Fibers 2,91 (g)
- Sodium 27,45 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Tools
METHOD
STEP 1
Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer for at least 5 minutes. The compound must become a white and dense foam.
Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until you get a firm and shiny meringue, it will take about 2 – 3 minutes.
Put toasted hazelnuts in the mixer and coarsely chop (it must not become a flour).
STEP 2
Add the hazelnuts to the meringue, mixing with a spatula from the bottom up so as not to disassemble the mixture. The mixture must be dense and very frothy:
Place parchment paper on baking sheet. Forming biscuits: take small piles (about the size of a walnut) from the dough with a spoon and put them on the baking sheet.
STEP 3
Bake at 284 F (140 C°), ventilated mode, for about 15/18 minutes: the typical crust and cracks will form on the biscuits.
Lower the oven to 266 F – 130 C° (change to static mode) and continue cooking for another 35-40 minutes.
Brutti ma Buoni are ready, let them cool before removing from the pan.
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NOTE
EGGS use top quality eggs. In this recipe, only egg whites are needed: you can use the yolks to prepare an excellent custard.
HAZELNUTS: I usually buy already toasted hazelnuts, if you can’t find them you can toast them at home. Put the hazelnuts in a pan and cook in the oven at 200 degrees for about 5 minutes. They should turn slightly golden.
CHOCOLATE FROSTING. You can garnish Brutti ma buoni with dark chocolate. Melt 100 g of dark chocolate in the microwave. Add a knob of butter and mix. When chocolate is completely melted and still hot, dip biscuits inside (only half). Leave to cool until chocolate glaze becomes solid.
STORAGE
Brutti ma Buoni biscuits can be kept in a biscuit box for 10-15 days
Varied doses for servings