Hazelnut Roses

December 19th 2018

Hazelnut Roses

Today, for me, marks the last day of baking the 'syv slag', the seven must bake Christmas cookies that a Norwegian home should have for bringing in the season, ready for unexpected and invited guests alike.  And if like me you have baked the seven or even just one or two, you may have already run out of one variety of cookie already!  I am about to bake my second batch of pepperkake this year and my third of the sugar cookies.  Every year I tell myself to bake bigger batches, you think I would have learnt by now!  Although maybe I should take a leaf out of my mormor (mother's mother) leaf and just say, 'You eat whilst they are here and when they are gone they are gone for another year...'   She was much slimmer than me!

Pepperkaker: Cookie 1
Serinakaker: Cookie 2
Brunne Cookie: Cookie 3
Chocolate Biscotti: Cookie 4
Chocolate Christmas Cookie: Cookie 5
Vanilla Wreath Cookie: Cookie 6

So the last cookie recipe I share with you today is very similar to an old favourite I have shared before but with a slight twist in that, we mix two types of nuts.  You can, of course, use any nut you like and keep it to only just one type if you prefer.  This simple and quick recipe comes from Trine, link below and if you like melt in the mouth and favour a nutty meringue-like cookie, then this is for you... enjoy...

Cookies made using a small star nozzle for piping

You will need:

100g ground hazelnuts
75g ground almonds
150g sugar
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
For the decoration:
whole hazelnuts to decorate
100g chocolate for melting








♥  Preheat the oven to 180 Celcius.
♥  Mix the ground nuts and sugar thoroughly.
♥  In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until very stiff.
♥  Carefully fold in the nuts to the egg whites trying not to lose too much air.
♥  The mixture needs to be stiff enough to hold its own shape but not so stiff that it cannot be piped.
♥  Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a large as possible star nozzle.

Once baked the cookies look more appealing

♥  Pipe directly onto lined baking trays.  Depending on the size of your nozzle either pipe a rose shape or if your star is on the small size pipe in concentric circles.
♥ Bake for 10-14 minutes or until just golden do not overbake otherwise the cookies will become too dry.
♥  As soon as you remove the trays from the oven place a whole hazelnut in the centre of each rose.  Press the nut in firmly to avoid it falling out later.  Leave to cool on the tray for a good five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
♥  Once completely cold, melt some chocolate and dip the underside (or brush the underside) of the cookie.  Allow the chocolate to set by placing the cookie upside down on the wire rack.  I tend to cover only half of the cookies with chocolate bottoms.
♥  These cookies freeze well but place some baking paper between each cookie if you are to freeze.  These defrost in about 15 minutes once removed from the freezer and will keep for 3 months.

Hazelnut Roses without chocolate bottoms

This lovely cookie recipe comes from one of my favourite Scandinavian cooks, the Danish Trine Hahnemann, do pop over and see her recipe and cookie:  Trine's Hazelnut Roses

It was hard to show you that the cookies had chocolate
underneath, so I turned them upside down!

Cookie number 6, Vanilla Wreaths
and Cookie number 7, Hazelnut Roses

 ♥  Seven cookies now baked for Christmas  ♥