Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroons

These macaroons are a delicate and delicious snack to keep you going up until the next meal.

Here's a simple recipe showing how to make them in a few very simple steps.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15- 20 minutes

Cooling time: 3-4 minutes

INGREDIENTS

100g chopped toasted hazelnuts
2 medium egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp cocoa powder

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C/ Gas 3

Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.

Place hazelnuts on one of the baking sheets, but first remove the parchment. Spread them out a little. Bake them for 3-4 minutes.

Then, whilst the hazelnuts are in the oven, weigh the sugar, and cocoa powder, and prepare the egg whites and the cornflour. By the time you've done that, the hazelnuts should have finished, if not, just leave them until they are done. When they are just toasted, put into a folded tea cloth and rub off the bitter outer skins. then put them in a grinder and whiz until finely chopped.

Put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and whisk (I used an electric whisk!) until you begin to see soft peaks. Gradually add half the sugar and whisk until you see stiff peaks.

Mix the remaining sugar with the cocoa powder, cornflour and the ground hazelnuts until there's no lumps.

Carefully fold in the hazel nutty mixture into the egg whites.

Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheets with the parchment.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the macaroons are pale golden and can easily be removed from the paper.

Whisk half the sugar into the egg whites and mix the rest of the sugar with the ground hazelnuts and the cocoa powder.

Fold the two mixtures together

Half way through it should look like this

Ready to spoon onto the baking sheets

The cooked macaroons

Crispy tops and chewy middles - perfect!

Sandwich in pairs with a little chocolate spread and enjoy!