Festive Christmas Hazelnut Macaroons

You will need

50 whole hazelnuts

4 egg whites, preferably free-range and organic

250g (9oz) vanilla sugar

250g (9oz) hazelnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Cover 2 or 3 baking sheets with silicone paper.

Place the whole hazelnuts on an unlined baking tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the skins loosen. Remove from the oven and rub off the skins in a tea towel. Grate in a nut mill or whizz with a little of the sugar in a food processor until quite fine.

Whisk the egg with the caster sugar until they hold a stiff peak. Fold in the grated hazelnuts. Drop a teaspoon of the mixture onto the baking sheets and top each one with a toasted whole hazelnut. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes approx. Cool on a wire rack.

Instead of topping with a whole hazelnut, you could sandwich them together with chocolate or coffee buttercream.

This recipe is from A Simply Delicious Christmas (25th Anniversary Edition) €27.99 in bookshops now