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–+ servings

Hazelnut Cookies (Lješnjašnice)

Aida
Crunchy, soft, and packed with hazelnut flavor, these easy four-ingredient cookies are irresistible!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Servings 10
Calories 199 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 7 ounces hazelnuts deshelled, roasted, peeled, and ground; (buy prepped and grind at home); if roasting at home, add at least 1 hour to prep
  • 5.5 ounces granulated sugar regular, white sugar
  • 1 egg no substitutes
  • 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
  • A few drops of oil for hands
  • (Optional) a pinch of vanilla or cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 250°F (120°C).* Coat your hands in oil to help you handle the batter. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well with your hand until the batter feels like sticky wet sand. Then form small, sturdy balls the size of a large marble. (You should have around 30-35-ish.)
  • Line a large baking pan (or sheet) with baking (parchment) paper. Place the balls on baking paper keeping plenty of distance between them. (They'll spread out a lot, and flatten out during baking.) Bake for approximately 45-55 minutes. (Adjust your oven to a little hotter, or a little cooler accordingly.) Cookies are done when they blush (but not too much), and flatten out, and they are both crunchy and soft at the same time.*
  • Serve hazelnut cookies by themselves, with whipped cream, with ice cream, tea, or coffee.
    Store up to 2 weeks in a cookie jar, or a container with a lid in a cool, dark place. If storing hazelnut cookies in the fridge, reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds before eating.
    Freeze unbaked dough balls on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Thaw before baking.

Notes

  • Baking Temperature (Important Tip!)
These cookies are simple, but their taste very much depends on baking them the right way!
If your oven runs hotter than most, you might want to bring the temperature down to 200°F (95°C), and even to 170°F (75°C).
If your oven runs colder than most, don't try shortening the baking time by turning the temperature up.
This type of cookie is similar to meringue cookies in the sense that it takes a long time to bake as they're essentially drying. This process produces that crunch on the outside and softness on the inside. 
  • How to Know Hazelnut Cookies Are Done
Cookies will spread out, flatten, and expand.
Test one by seeing how crunchy it is. It should have lots of crunch, and softness on the inside (when you break it in half). However, the cookie should not crumble, or be overly gooey or hard to break.
In color, the cookies will range from beige to light brown. If they stay overly pale you need to bake more. If they brown too much it usually means you've overbaked them.
  • Nutrition Information
Nutrition info is just an estimate based on a serving size of 3 cookies.

Nutrition

Serving: 3cookiesCalories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 19.32gProtein: 3.87gFat: 13.03gSaturated Fat: 1.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 9.5gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 11mgPotassium: 227mgFiber: 1.9gSugar: 16.18gVitamin A: 51IUVitamin C: 1.3mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1.27mg
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