Hazelnut Macaroons

I had the pleasure of encountering my first ever hazelnut macaroon from a tiny family-run bakery in Istanbul, Turkey. A giant swirl wrapped tightly in clingfilm, I took one nibble and swooned at the crusty nutty edge.

It got even better. A few more bites and I had reached its moist inner core, a soft chewy heart rich with the goodness of hazelnut. Have you ever eaten something so good, you're dreading the moment when you reach the end? I remember eating half and longingly setting it aside for the next morning. The fact it was about the size of a small orange also helped.

The next day I had the rest of the macaroon for breakfast (it had gone a little soft at the edges but it was still so very good). I left our hotel and headed straight back to the bakery for more.

My search for hazelnut macaroons since then has been somewhat futile. Admittedly Turkey is flush with cheap hazelnuts, producing almost 70% of the world's hazelnut crop. Whilst I've found plenty of amazing almond macaroons around Sydney, the few hazelnut versions I've discovered were either too dry or mixed with almonds.

Luckily, making your own isn't that difficult at all. My usual nut shop was out of hazelnut meal so a little patience was required to blitz whole hazelnuts into meal using a spice grinder and very small batches.

The unusually high temperature for cooking this meringue is essential to ensure the meringues are golden outside but not cooked till dry. The greatest delight about these macaroons is the contrast between the crusty sugary surface and the chewy meringue within.


Hazelnut macaroons

2 egg whites
50g caster sugar
100g ground hazelnuts (hazelnut meal)
24-36 whole hazelnuts, skins intact

Beat the egg white with an electric mixer until the egg whites are thick and foamy. Gradually incorporate the caster sugar, beating well between each addition.

Gently fold in the ground hazelnuts.

Use a piping bag to create rosetta swirls on a baking tray lined with baking paper. If you do not have a piping bag, drop equal spoonfuls onto the baking paper. Top each swirl with a whole hazelnut.

Bake at 200C (180C for fan-forced ovens) for about 15-20 minutes or until the meringues are a golden brown. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes then gently remove the meringues from the tray and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

It is important to store the meringues in an air-tight container on their own otherwise the meringues may harden.