Best Hazelnut Meringue Sandwich Cookies Recipes

HAZELNUT SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a food processor, pulse hazelnuts with 1/4 cup flour mixture until very finely ground. Add remaining flour mixture and process to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and vanilla and pulse until dough just comes together. Form dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between floured parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Stack dough in parchment on a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes. With a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch fluted round cutter, cut out dough. (If dough becomes too soft, refrigerate a few minutes; reroll scraps, if desired.) Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. With a 1-inch cutter, cut out dough in centers of half the cookies. Bake until cookies just begin to brown at edges, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. If desired, bake small cutouts separately, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.
• Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over cutout tops. Spread about 2 teaspoons chocolate or jam on bottoms of remaining cookies and sandwich with sugar-dusted tops.

HAZELNUT MERINGUE SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 9 to 11 minutes; let cool, then finely chop. Reduce the oven temperature to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and beat in the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Add the chopped hazelnuts and sift in the confectioners' sugar.
• Fold together with a rubber spatula.
• Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 2-inch rounds about 1 inch apart on the prepared pans, keeping the pastry tip close to the pan.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the meringues are dry and release from
• the parchment, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Turn off the oven; leave the meringues inside for 30 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium high and beat in the vanilla; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Dollop 1 teaspoon filling and 1/2 teaspoon jelly on the flat side of half the meringues. Top with the remaining meringues.

HAZELNUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place hazelnuts in single layer on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F. for 10 minutes or until skins begin to loosen and hazelnuts turn golden brown.
• Remove hazelnuts from oven; place on towel. Wrap towel around hazelnuts; let stand 10 minutes. Rub hazelnuts with towel to remove as much skin as possible.
• In food processor bowl with metal blade, combine hazelnuts and powdered sugar. Process until fine powder forms. Set aside.
• Reduce oven temperature to 200°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In large bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer at medium speed until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar. Increase speed to high; beat until soft peaks form. Slowly beat in superfine sugar. Continue beating until egg whites are glossy and stiff. Beat in almond extract. Quickly fold in nut powder.
• Place meringue mixture in large decorating bag or resealable gallon plastic bag fitted with 1/2-inch open star tip. Pipe meringue into star shapes onto paper-lined cookie sheets.
• Bake at 200°F for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until crisp. Cool on cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Gently remove from parchment paper.