Hazelnut Macaroons
Hazelnut Macaroons are soft, chewy, bite-size cookies. Dress them up with a little dark chocolate for an irresistible and beautiful dessert!
Macaroons are a baking wonder. They’re made with a short list of ingredients that turn into sweet, chewy bites of deliciousness. Every time I make them, I lament that I don’t make them often enough. And that’s the case with these Hazelnut Macaroons. I just want to bake batch after batch!
While these are very good just as they are, I can’t resist adding some chocolate. Chocolate and hazelnut are great friends, after all. Simply melt some dark chocolate, spread it on the bottoms of the cookies, and allow the chocolate to cool and set. You can also try dipping them into the chocolate, but I find that these cookies are so small that spreading the chocolate on each one works better for me. It’s a simple step, although it can take a while to spread chocolate on all of those little macaroons.
My only real word of caution for making these is the same for making any macaroons or meringues. While they are simple to make, just know that it takes several minutes of mixing to whip those egg whites. And when it’s time to add the sugar, go slowly and add it over a minute or two while still whipping. I usually use a hand mixer, but a stand mixer will free your hands to get everything in order while the egg whites are mixing.
Actually, I do have one more tip for you. Be sure not to over-bake the macaroons, or they’ll get overly crispy. It can be a bit difficult to tell when they’re done. The tops of the macaroons should appear dry. If you lightly tap the top of a cookie, it shouldn’t give. You can also carefully use a small spatula to lift a cookie from the pan. If it releases easily and doesn’t stick, then you’ll know they’re done.
These little cookies are a great use of leftover egg whites, like when you’ve made these Chewy Pecan Pie Bars. You can scale the recipe as needed based on how many egg whites you have. It does make a really big batch as written, but the good news is that they scoop quickly and bake quickly as well.
I really love that this recipe makes a big batch. That makes them perfect for sharing! Of course, their small size makes it easy to eat one after another. That’s just another reason to share!
More Chocolate and Hazelnut Desserts
- Frosted Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Chocolate Hazelnut Black Bottom Pie
- Nutella-Salted Shortbread Brownies
Hazelnut Macaroons
Hazelnut Macaroons are simple, sweet cookies. Enjoy them plain or spread a little dark chocolate on them for even more flavor!
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 3 cups (426g) hazelnuts, toasted and ground*
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 & 1/3 cups (266g) granulated sugar
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl, and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the hazelnuts, flour, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Slowly add the sugar (over 1-2 minutes), beating until stiff peaks form.
- Carefully fold the hazelnut mixture into the egg white mixture. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Drop the dough onto the prepared pans, using about 1 to 1 & 1/2 teaspoons at a time. (I use a scoop for easier portioning.)
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the tops appear dry and set.
- Cool on the pans for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Spread the bottom of each cookie with melted chocolate. Place upside down and allow the chocolate to set.
Notes
*To toast hazelnuts, place them in a single layer on a lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. After cooling, use a towel to rub the hazelnuts to remove the skins. They can then be ground in a food processor or blender.
Recipe adapted from Midwest Living.
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10 Comments on “Hazelnut Macaroons”
These look delicious. Could you replace the hazelnuts for almonds? Thanks for the recipe:)
Thanks, Sue! I think that would be fine. I would substitute the same volume of almonds instead of going by weight.
Thanks Jennifer, they’re going on my list!
To make gluten free for Passover what could you replace the flour with?
Hi, Debra. I don’t do much gluten-free baking, so I can’t offer a definitive answer. With so little flour, though, you might just try increasing the volume of ground hazelnuts to replace the flour.
Hi! The 3 cups nuts is already ground and then measured or the whole nuts should make 3 cups then toast and ground?
They’re measured before grinding. In recipes if the treatment (like toasted and ground in this recipe) is separated from the ingredient by a comma afterwards, then the measurement is done before that treatment.
Thank you:)
Hi Jennifer, the hazelnul macaroons looks so yummy and delicious. One question should I freeze the dough and use it?
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This type of dough generally doesn’t freeze well. You can freeze the baked cookies, though.