Baiser-Mürbteig Cookies

Ingredients

• 100 g ground hazelnuts
• 150 g flour
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 100 g sugar
• vanilla bean paste
• 125 g cold butter
• a pinch of salt
• 4 egg whites
• Lemon juice
• a pinch of salt
• 200 g sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar

Instructions

1. 1.

   Sift the flour with the hazelnuts onto a work surface, mix in salt, lemon zest and sugar, then press a well into the center. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and distribute around the well; add the egg, vanilla paste and about 50 ml lukewarm water. With a knife chop all ingredients until small dough crumbs form, then quickly knead with hands into a dough, shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C fan.

3. 3.

   Whisk the egg whites with lemon juice and salt until half‑firm. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla sugar, whisking until a firm glossy mixture forms and the sugar dissolves.

4. 4.

   Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 4 mm thickness. Cut out snowflake or ice crystal shapes with a cookie cutter, place on a parchment-lined tray. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the meringue mixture and pipe decorative dots onto the cookies. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10–12 minutes. Remove and cool.

5. 5.