Gran ma's recipe - Hazelnut kisses

Monday evening, a fresh new week is ahead and I'm resting, trying to get as much rest as possible before the work catches up. And it will catch up soon, doesn't it always?
Well, I'd like to forget about it for a moment here and focus on my promise :) How to use the extra egg whites left from the tropical cupcakes... A quick and one could say very easy recipe, proves actually to have a hidden trick that I still have to master. (°.°)

My gran ma's recipe, and for now, the only lady in my family that can do it right. (^.^)/ Go gran ma!


Total time: 20' (10' preparation, 10' baking)
Serves: 2 trays
Difficulty: easy
Calories: ~ 30 kcal / piece
Requires baking (180°C - 10')

Ingredients:

- 3 egg whites
- ~250 gr of hazelnuts
- 5 tbs of sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a baking sheet on two flat baking trays.
2. You have to ground the hazelnuts. And this is the crucial part. Don't ground them too much, nor too little. If you have bigger chunks the batter will flatten like shown in the picture below. If on the other hand, you ground them to a soft powder, the cookies will come up too dry. So, try something in the middle. :) My gran ma would say that using a nut grinder does the trick.



3. Put the egg whites in a bowl, add the nuts and sugar and whip them all together, until a soft foam forms.

4. Use a cake decoration tool with a star tip (either using a pistol or using a bag) and fill it in with the pastry.

5. Make cookies of approximately 4cm in diameter, leaving at least 3cm in between.

6. Bake for about 10', or until light brown.
7. Best served warm, but can be eaten cold for days.

Quick, isn't it? :) And they will disappear even quicker!

TIPS:
• If the batter seems too liquid, it probably is :) Add some more nuts till you get them to stay uptight. They should maintain their form when you squeeze them out.
• If it appears to be too much on the other hand, add another egg white until you get the desired consistency.
• You can always bake a couple just to check how it will work out ;). They bake so fast :)
• If you wish to preserve them, let them cool down completely before sealing them in an airtight container. Otherwise they will moist and become sticky.