Berner Hasselnuss Staengeli

Name: Berner Hasselnuss Staengeli (Swiss Hazelnut Bars from Berne)
Yield: Makes about 48 cookies
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 large egg whites (a little more than ½ cup); 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 1½ cups sugar, plus more for rolling out the dough; 4½ cups (about 18 ounces) whole unblanched hazelnuts

Swiss Hazelnut Bars from Berne

Preparation info

Makes about
48
cookies

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cookies Unlimited

By Nick Malgieri

Published 2000

About

This is a typically Swiss recipe shared by my friend, cooking teacher and caterer Thea Cvijanovich. Thea was born in Berne, Switzerland, and this recipe is like many from the region. Though I don’t think these were originally made without flour for religious reasons, they make a great Passover cookie.

Ingredients

4½ cups (about 18 ounces) whole unblanched hazelnuts
1½ cups sugar, plus

Europe
Italy
Switzerland
Dessert
Mediterranean
Cookies
Vegetarian
Gluten-free

Method

In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the hazelnuts and half the sugar. Pulse repeatedly at 1-second intervals until finely ground. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon and pulse again.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to break them up. Whisk in the remaining sugar in a stream. Add the hazelnut mixture and with a large rubber