A competition between Tuscany and Piedmont! Who will be the winner? The choice is yours!
ingredients for 15 pieces (total cost about 3 € for the whole preparation with organic ingredients)
- 100 g egg whites (from about 3 eggs)
- 100 g superfine sugar
- 100 g hazenunts or almonds
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (if using hazelnuts) or
- zest from ¼ lemon (if using almonds)
- 1 pinch of cream of tartar
Here’s another idea in how to use those egg whites we often are left with, not knowing what to do with them. It is said that, probably this was the reason for the creation of these classic Italian irregularly shaped hazelnut – meringue biscuits.
Brutti ma buoni, which in Italian means ugly but good. These classic sweets are said to have been first made in the region of Piemonte, were, as we have already seen in the recipe of “Hazelnut and Almond Sponge Cake”, they cultivate the notorious hazenut variety “Nocciole Trilobate Piemontesi” or “Tonda Gentile delle Langhe”.
From what I have read so far, though, it is not that certain that they are originated in Piemonte. What is certain is that, with some slight variations, they are widespread throughout northern Italy. In Tuscany, more specifically, they make a version with only sweet and bitter almonds and flavored with lemon zest, which they call “Bruttiboni” or “Mandorlati di San Clemente”.
I have desided to present you both versions, so that you can choose which one you prefer. I have already made my choise …
First of all I must say that there are basically two ways these biscuits. In the first version, after the egg whites are whipped together with the sugar into the meringue and mixed with the ground nuts, they are immediately placed in irregular piles in baking trays and baked. In the second version the mixture, before being put in the oven, is “cooked” in a pot for a few minutes to dry. The result changes a lot from one recipe to another, in the first case the biscuits will be pillowy light with a slightly crumbly consistency, similar to meringue, in the second case they will be more crunchy and similar to a nougat.
Whatever version you make, be sure not to let them too much time in the oven, even though this is what most recipes do, actually, suggest. In my opinion, drying them for a long time, makes them rock solid, and deprives them of the characteristic softeness of a meringue biscuit, that is so pleasant to the palate.
So, to make them, we toast the nuts of our choice, finely grind them and make a meringue with the egg whites a pinch of cream of tartar and the sugar, the way described in the “hazelnut & almond sponge cake” recipe (HERE).
When the meringue is ready, we gently fold in the nuts, working in batches as well as the aromatics we will be using. For the hazelnuts version, we use cinnamon, while for the almonds version, freshly grated lemon zest.
Then we transfer the mixture into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and briefly place it over low heat, stirring constantly in order to gently dry a little the meringue. It will take about 5-6 minutes. As already explained, we can omit this stage. In fact, this is what I will do the next time I make them.
As soon as the meringue begins to dry out, we immediately start forming the biscuits, by placing spoonfuls of the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
We bake in a 140 o C preheated over – static function (or 120 for fan function), for about 20-25 minutes, or until they settle their form, their color turns to slightly golden, they puff, and dry a little, yet, retain their softness in the middle, when pressed. I repeat that, in my opinion, they are better if not totally dried and hard to the touch. After they cool they will harden even more, so better keep it safe.
