This unique two-step method of making these Bruttiboni Italian cookies provides the perfect texture you come to expect from a meringue cookie. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside.
The combination of roasted nuts makes these Italian Meringue Cookies truly sensational!
When you first bite into these Italian hazelnut cookies, your initial sensation will be that of a crispy exterior, followed by a soft, chewy interior.
Just like this family recipe for Mostaccioli, these Brutti ma Buoni cookies are a great addition to your platter of Italian Christmas cookies.
Apparently, the first person to come up with the genius idea of adding nuts to a meringue based cookie was a pastry chef in the region of Lombardi in 1878.
His name was Constantino Veniani, and he owned a pastry shop in a small town called Gavirate, just north of Milan.
He called these cookies brutti ma buoni, which literally translates into ugly but good. Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I will let you decide if these cookies merit the description of being ugly…
As far as the taste goes, I would describe them as exceptional.
Bruttiboni Ingredients:
A printable recipe card found at the bottom of this page has the specific amounts for each ingredient. This is just a summary.
- Egg whites. An essential component to make a great Italian meringue cookie.
- Salt. Just a pinch.
- Vanilla Extract. No imitation will do, use the real thing and you will actually taste the difference.
- Cinnamon. Just a bit to give the meringue a little kick.
- Sugar. Another crucial ingredient when making this classic meringue cookie.
- Almonds. Roasted and with the skin on.
- Hazelnuts. These will also be roasted but we need to remove their skins.
As far as accessories are concerned, a food processor to grind the nuts makes this whole process so much easier than manually chopping them up. You will also need a stand mixer (or handheld mixer) to whisk the egg whites properly.
A small pot, a heat proof bowl, a wooden spoon and a medium-sized ice cream scoop will ensure equal sized cookies.
Finally, we will need a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
It’s now time to make this wonderful gluten-free cookie! Are you ready?
How to Make Bruttiboni Cookies:
This recipe for these Italian Meringue cookies is unique as it requires both roasted hazelnuts and almonds. You need 1⅓ cup of each.
Once roasted, use your food processor to obtain coarsely chopped nuts. Set them aside while you make the meringue.
The meringue has its humble beginnings in egg whites. With the help of your stand mixer and the whisk attachment, it only takes about 10 minutes to get your 4 egg whites whipped up into stiff glossy peaks.
Start your mixture on low-speed and as your egg whites begin to foam, add a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Gradually add 1 cup of granulated sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Before you know it, the mixture becomes super glossy and stiff.
Gently fold in the chopped hazelnuts and almonds.
Transfer this mixture in a heat proof bowl and place over a pot of hot, barely simmering water. Stir every few minutes or so for about 15 minutes.
Notice how the mixture appears a little darker and slightly “deflated”.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
The hazelnut and almond meringues are now ready to be baked. Portion with a medium sized scooper in order to obtain about two dozen cookies. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before “peeling” them off the parchment paper.
Crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle…
TIPS, TRICKS AND RECIPE NOTES:
- The almonds and the hazelnuts can be roasted in advance and stored at room temperature until needed. This ensures the use of room temperature ingredients until you are ready to make these nut cookies.
- Do not rush the process of adding the sugar while whisking the egg whites. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time.
- The addition of cinnamon is optional.
- If you’re a chocolate lover, feel free to add a few shavings of chocolate to make a non-traditional version.
What can I make with crushed cookies?
They are great sprinkled over Grilled Peaches or a Ricotta Parfait.
GLUTEN FREE CHRISTMAS COOKIES we love:
Origins of recipe for Almond Hazelnut Cookies:
I have previously mentioned that I would often collect newspaper clippings of recipes from the Wednesday edition of my local paper. Imagine how delighted I was when I found this ugly cookies recipe in the food section.
I have been making this Italian Hazelnut Almond Meringue for over twenty years and it has never disappointed. Both family and friends are thrilled whenever I make this Italian cookie recipe to be part of our Christmas celebrations.
I am confident they will quickly become part of the best Christmas cookie recipes you bake for the holidays.
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Brutti ma Buoni recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Bruttiboni
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- 1⅓ cup whole almonds toasted
- 1⅓ cup hazelnuts toasted and skins removes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Pulse almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor to obtain a coarsely ground texture. Alternatively, chop by hand. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl (of a stand mixture), with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until they start to foam.
- Add a pinch of salt.
- Add cinnamon and vanilla extract.
- Add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, Whisk until you obtain stiff glossy peaks.
- With a mixing spoon, fold in the nuts. Gently combine.
- Transfer this mixture to a heat proof bowl and place over a pot of hot, barely simmering water. This mixture needs to be stirred for about 15 minutes.
- Portion with a medium-sized scooper and place on baking sheet.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until tops are golden.
- Allow to cool on baking sheet.
Video
Notes
- The almonds and the hazelnuts can be roasted in advance and stored at room temperature until needed. This ensures the use of room temperature ingredients until you are ready to make these nut cookies.
- Do not rush the process of adding the sugar while whisking the egg whites. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time to the egg whites.
- The addition of cinnamon is optional.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 13, 2015 and republished on November 22, 2018 with updated content, photos and a video. Thanks for watching and sharing.
Tracey says
Yum! and addictive. Super easy to make. Sandwich two together with chocolate gelato for a delicious ice cream sandwich! !
Maria says
What a great idea Tracey! Thanks for sharing!
Rosanna Condina says
I made them and they are sooo delish!
Can l freeze them and will they still be chewy when defrosted?
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Maria says
Yes, I freeze them all the time. I would say the texture is more on the crispy side but it is still a wonderful cookie. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, appreciate it!
San says
I’ve had these from a bakery and it took me forever to find out the name of them. I’m going to make these very soon. How do I make them chocolate, it says a few shavings of chocolate. Melt it first, chocolate chips? Can I have a little more detail to make them chocolate. Thanks.
Maria says
Thanks for your interest San. This is what I do, I simply take my block of bittersweet chocolate and grate a couple of tablespoons in the mixture just before I scoop it out to bake. If you prefer to see chocolate pieces, you can chop the chocolate and add it to the batter. I have not tried to add melted chocolate nor chocolate chips, although I think that would also work. Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it!
Brenda says
30 minutes and cooling in the pan produced crunchy through and through and over-baked bottoms for my first batch. I’ll try and again and let my nose guide me as I regret not removing them from the oven when I smelled the burn.
Maria says
Oh I’m sorry to hear that Brenda. You must have a very powerful oven. Can I ask if you baked them in convection mode?
Brenda says
Just a regular gas oven and I’ve discovered those do tend to burn a little hotter than electric. I will say this though… The ones that were not quite so burnt but are just crispy through and through, or a little bit like biscotti. I’m having one with a cup of ginger tea right now and it’s delicious.
Maria says
Yes, my friend has a gas oven and they are super efficient! I’m so, so glad to hear you are enjoying these Italian meringue cookies. Thanks so much for getting back to me. Enjoy the rest of your evening Brenda 🙂
Lucy says
Can’t wait to try these. Do they freeze well?
Maria says
Yes, they freeze really well. Enjoy!
jeanne says
i made these today and they smell heavenly!! but they never really got golden on top so I kept waiting. When I took them out at 25 minutes, sadly the bottoms were burned. SO BUMMED OUT!! I would just say watch your oven very carefully. I think they were probably done at 22 minutes but i didn’t want to take them out prematurely. (I have an oven thermometer, so my oven is accurate.) I may try again! I also have a question: do you know what the purpose is of the 15 minutes over boiling water? Just curious as I’ve not encountered that before.
Maria says
Thanks for sharing Jeanne. These chewy/crispy almond meringues have been a family favorite for decades… I hope you do try them again. I believe this process allows the water to evaporate and once baked, contributes to a chewy interior. In the past I have tried to skip this step and I get a very crisp cookie. Great question. Thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you and your loved ones a Healthy, Happy New Year 🙂
Ciao Chow Linda says
How coincidental. I’ve wanted to make these for forever, and finally got around to it a couple of weeks ago. Yours look absolutely wonderful.
Maria says
Thanks so much Linda ♥ I think we are all in “cookie mode” …lol
These Italian Almond Meringue Cookies became a hit with family and friends the first time I tried them. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Christina says
Thank you for a great recipe. In the oven right now, very exited to taste result.
One question, why do you heat the mixture at the end?
Maria says
My pleasure Christina! The end result for these brutti ma buoni cookies is a crispy texture. The baking is necessary to dry out the mixture and get them nice and crisp. Appreciate your comment. Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Joan says
In the oven as we speak. My remembrance of a similar cookie came from my Green Bay roots and a phenomenal German baker named Otto Kaap. I have searched and searched for a chewy nut cookie. I think Otto mixed a few nuts and minced and toasted them all together which is what I did. Didn’t have hazelnut, dag nab it, but used pecan, walnut and almond.
Meringue based is a great idea becuz they definitely need to be crispy on outside and chewy inside. So excited!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!
Maria says
My pleasure Joan! Love the mixture of nuts you used. Great comment! Thanks for dropping by. Would love to hear how they turned out for you 🙂
Debs says
Had something like this in an italian bakery in Las Olas Florida except they also had a few moist raisins in them
They were poured into a sheet pan
Baked and sliced and sprinkled with icing sugar. Fantastic!
Going to try this
Maria says
Yes, I am familiar with that recipe. My mom had a similar recipe which I have yet to decode… you know a handful of this and a glass of that 😉 Hope you enjoy these meringues. Appreciate you taking the time to comment 🙂
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto says
Wow these cookies sound absolutely epic! Definitely going to surprise my mom with a whole batch of these. Loved learning a bit of the history about them too – can’t believe they go all the way back to 1878! Pinning too ;))
Maria says
I love that word …epic …thanks so much Vicky. It is absolutely a very unique cookie. I always include it in my holiday cookie platter. Hope you and your mom enjoy them. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment 🙂
Sonia and mom says
Oh my gosh these look so goodxx
Maria says
Just like the name…ugly but good… 🙂 🙂 🙂
Maura says
Been looking everywhere for this cookie recipe. The one person who I know makes them will not share the recipe! Gotcha sucker!????
Maria says
Enjoy Maura 🙂