Hazelnut Meringue Sandwich Cookies

Hazelnut Meringue Sandwich Cookies! Delightfully light and airy meringue complimented with hazelnuts and chocolate ganache.

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So I am pretty excited, my daughters pre-school class has it’s first official field trip this week and we are going to the apple orchard. The weather is going to be perfect for the orchard, 60 degrees. We’ll get a hay ride out to the orchard to pick our apples, visit a petting zoo and then come back to the barn to get hot apple cider and fresh made donuts. Even though my daughter is excited at the idea of a field trip she really doesn’t know what an apple orchard is so it will be a brand new experience for her. But me, I know what to expect and I am getting pretty excited, I think more because it’s a Fall tradition. The petting zoo I could do with out, lets face it, they always smell. No one says it but it’s the truth, they all smile at the cute animals but I can’t help but think, “am I the only one that notices that smell?”. Plus I always seem to get stalked by the crazy goat that wants to eat my coat, lol, I’ll be grinning and bearing that part for my daughters sake. But as long as I get some good apples, cider and donuts it’s all good.

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So I was in the mood for something light and airy this week. Of course my mind moved right over to meringue, nothing is more light and airy and with a slight bit of chewiness as you bite it. I have had hazelnut flour in the pantry and knew this was my opportunity to use. Meringue plus crunchy bits of hazelnuts, what could be better? I know, chocolate ganache. Honestly these little cookies are delightful on their own but paired with chocolate ganache, now they are off the charts. So lets recap. We have crunchy hazelnuts, light, airy, chewy meringue and smooth, rich, creamy, chocolate ganache….don’t think I need to say much more here.

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Now, you may be able to tell from the photo that there are a lot of hazelnuts. These are very similar to a macaron but a little more nutty so the cookie itself is bumpier. That was fine by me, I wanted a hazelnut meringue cookie so that’s what I made rather than a macaron. The dusting of cocoa on each cookie gives a nice finished looked and the little bit of bitter helps compliment the sweet.

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Make these little Hazelnut Meringue Sandwich Cookies for friends and family or just yourself, don’t forget the tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

Stacey

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Hazelnut Meringue Sandwich Cookies

Hazelnut Meringue Sandwich Cookies! Delightfully light and airy meringue complimented with hazelnuts and chocolate ganache.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time22 mins

Total Time42 mins

Course: Cookie

Servings: 25 -30 cookies

Author: The Sugar Coated Cottage

Ingredients

• HAZELNUT MERINGUE COOKIES:
• 1 cup hazelnut flour
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
• CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
• 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Tbsp butter

Instructions

• HAZELNUT MERINGUE COOKIES:
• Pre- heat oven to 350 degree F
• Place rack at lower third of the oven.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
• In medium bowl, sift hazelnut flour and confectioners sugar. With back of spatula gently press any large granuals through the sifter. Toss any that do not go through. Repeat process 2 more times. Set aside.
• In a medium sauce pan add the egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk on medium heat until sugar granuals are dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Pour into mixing bowl with whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until soft glossy peaks are reached.
• Pour in the hazelnut mixture and fold until incorporated, Next press the mixture against inside of bowl with back of spatula in an upward motion. Repeat until batter is fully mixed and incorporated.
• Add to piping bag and pipe cookies onto cookie sheet about 1 inch in diameter, I used an Ateco #806 tip). (If needed trace circles on parchment as a guide with pencil and flip over so pencil does not get on cookies).
• Dust with cocoa powder.
• Let sit for 20 minutes until skin forms on tops, this will help achieve the "foot" at bottom of cookie.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes until risen and set, turning cookie sheet half way through.
• Let cool completely
• GANACHE:
• Heat heavy cream in sauce pan until just about boiling.
• Pour over chocolate, let sit for 3 minutes.
• Add in butter and stir in small circulate motions until ganache is formed.
• Let cool completely to room temperature.
• ASSEMBLY:
• Pair up the cookies with like sizes.
• Using a piping bag (no tip required), fill with ganache and pipe small amount in center of one cookie. Take the second cookie and sandwich the ganache in between gently as to not break the cookie.