The name is intimidating, isn’t it? It’s a mouthful. It packs a punch. But the name isn’t where that stops. The cookie itself is a mouthful and definitely packs a punch. It did intimidate me last year when I was asked to develop a similar recipe for this traditional German cookie for a former colleague. Not being familiar with Haselnessmakronen, I did some research and was pleasantly surprised that this cookie was naturally gluten free, had simple ingredients and seemed reasonably easy to make. They were all these things and you know what? I completely fell in love with these cookies. They have now become a must make Christmas cookie in my house.
I had never heard of this cookie before last year. And if I’m being completely honest, it didn’t wow me looking at it. I’m not a sweet tooth, as I’ve said in previous posts. Cookies, while I have certain ones I enjoy more then others, are not my absolute favorite thing. Sure I will indulge around the Holidays if they are around. But I don’t go out of my way to have them. If we are being completely transparent, there are ones that I stumbled upon in Florida years ago that have made me a complete and total cookie snob. No exaggeration here, they are over 500 calories each, weigh close to a pound and are literally life changing.
No exaggeration again, these cookies are life changing in a different way. Their light, airy and Macaron-esque structure and taste were something I was completely not expecting. Just like you enjoy Macarons for their airy, chewy texture, these have that going for them as well. If you like Macarons, then you need to make these.
From this cookie development, came my now frequently used Wine Jam recipe. I developed it for the original recipe. Literally threw some fresh raspberries, sugar and wine into a pan and cooked it down. You can find it on my Pork Roll Monte Cristo recipe, so it’s already made an appearance here. I’m not trying to brag here, but I’ve been asked to jar this recipe for coworkers and friends. So I knew it had to be featured on this recipe but wanted to put a twist on it. Enter some usual Holiday Suspects: Nutmeg, Orange Zest, Cinnamon and Cloves.
Put your jam on to cook firstly. This way it can cook down and be cooled by the time you are ready for it. You can use frozen Raspberries for this, but I’m partial to fresh ones myself. Raspberries, any Red Wine you’d like (I used Pinot Noir this time but have used Merlot in the past), sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a sauce pan. Allow this to reduce down to a thick, jam like consistency. No pectin is needed. Just heat and a couple of stirs. That’s it.
Next, you don’t have to buy any fancy Hazelnut flour. Buying whole Hazelnuts and grinding them in a food processor does the trick just perfectly. Grind it down to a powder, not too fine, leave some texture.
Once that’s done, you are going to whip some egg whites up in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until they are foamy. Gradually, you are going to add in some sugar until it gets a shiny, stiff texture, similar to that of a macaron. They should be able to stand up on their own on your whisk. Once this is achieved, fold in your ground hazelnuts until combined.
Now, you can use an ice cream scoop here or you can use a tablespoon and make little football shapes like I did. Bake them and rotate them midway through. Cook them until just brown.
Once they are out of the oven and cooled, press a small indent in the center of the cookie. This will be where the jam lives. Take a teaspoon and place a little or a lot of the jam right in the center there. And that’s it. Pretty simple and simply delicious.
I have not been to Germany. Randy has. I hope to travel there one day after hearing his wonderful stories of the country, as well as other ones from friends, new and former. Germany has strong, anchored roots in Christmas’ history. Haselnessmakronen has small roots now in my own Christmas history, but will grow over time. I hope the name of these don’t truly scare you. They are Hazelnut Macarons and they. are. WORTH. IT!
Germany’s Haselnessmakronen with Holiday Wine Jam
Makes approximately 30 cookies
1 cup Pinot Noir (or any red wine)
3 cups Fresh Raspberries, cleaned and dried
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 Tbsp Orange Zest
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups whole Hazelnuts
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a saucepan, combine Pinot Noir, Raspberries, 1 cup of Sugar, Orange Zest, Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmeg. Over medium heat, cook down mixture until it is a jam like consistency, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
In a food processor, add Hazelnuts and grind until they are finely chopped, with a bit of texture.
In a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites with salt at medium speed until foamy.
Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form, for about 5 to 7 minutes. The egg whites should stand up on their own.
Gently fold in the Hazelnuts until mixture is all combined.
Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop 1 1/2 rounds or ovals onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake the cookies 11 to 13 minutes until lightly browned, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
Remove the cookies from the oven and while they are still hot, carefully make an indent into the center of each cookie with the back of a teaspoon.
Carefully spoon about 1 teaspoon of the Holiday Jam into the center of each cookie. Let the jame set and the cookies cool completely before serving.