Serves:
Makes About 4 Dozen Cookies
Active Time:
45 Minutes
Start to Finish:
1 Hour Brutti-Boni
Brutti ma buoni—“ugly but good” cookies—are found in many regions of Italy, usually made from finely ground almonds in a meringue base. But the Mattei bakery in Prato, near Florence, makes (and spells) them in the typical Tuscan style. The egg whites are only lightly beaten, and the nuts, which include a handful of pine nuts that add a more complex, creamy flavor, are coarser. These crisp, chewy cookies were shared with us by the authority on Italian cooking Faith Heller Willinger.
Ingredients
2 cups (10 1⁄2 ounces) unblanched whole almonds, toasted
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 1/3 cups sugar
2–3 large egg whites
2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
1/8 teaspoon salt
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: parchment paper
Instructions
PUT A RACK IN MIDDLE OF OVEN and preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Pulse almonds and pine nuts with sugar in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Lightly beat 2 egg whites with a whisk and add to nuts, along with flour and salt. Process until evenly moist. (Dough should be slightly sticky but firm enough to hold together. If it is too dry, lightly beat remaining egg white and blend into dough 1 teaspoon at a time.)
Drop heaping teaspoons of dough about 1⁄2 inch apart onto lined baking sheets. Gently squeeze each one with your fingers to form a rough cone shape.
Bake cookies in batches until barely browned and still moist in center, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
COOK’S NOTE
The cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.