Haselnussmakronen are German hazelnut macaroons. They're chewy and sweet, made with only egg whites, ground hazelnuts, cinnamon, and sugar. Add some macaroons to your next holiday cookie tray!
Haselnussmakronen are a traditional German Christmas cookie. They are light and chewy, filled with hazelnuts, and made without any leavening agents or flour.
These cookies are dairy-free and gluten-free, and made with only egg whites, ground nuts, cinnamon, and sugar. They're perfect for guests with dietary restrictions and make the perfect addition to your next holiday cookie tray!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Egg whites - For this recipe, you'll need three large (US) egg whites or three medium (Europe) egg whites. Standard egg sizes vary depending on location - a medium egg in Europe is about the same size as a large egg in the US. Canadian egg sizes are about the same as US egg sizes. For more information: Wikipedia: Chicken egg sizes
- Sugar - Confectioner's sugar is recommended because it blends seamlessly into the egg whites.
- Vanilla extract - Adds depth of flavor to your macaroons.
- Ground hazelnuts - Ground hazelnuts can be substituted with a coarse hazelnut flour if desired. They can also be made with coarse ground almonds.
- Cinnamon - Adds a hint of warmth to your macaroons.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your macaroons without making them "salty".
Tips and tricks
Making ground hazelnuts - If you don't have ground hazelnuts on hand, it is easy to make your own with whole hazelnuts. Add your hazelnuts to a food processor, then pulse until you have a coarse meal. You can use this method for any type of nuts. Be careful not to blend your nuts too much, or you'll end up with hazelnut butter.
Whipping egg whites - Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results. Continually check for stiff peaks by turning off your mixer, then pulling out the whisk and pointing it upward. Once the egg whites hold their shape and stand straight up without drooping, stop mixing.
Take care not to overwhip your egg whites - Your egg whites should look smooth, not lumpy. Unfortunately, the protein in overwhipped egg whites begins to break down and will collapse if baked. They'll also look watery and grainy. If you get to this point, you'll have to start over with fresh egg whites and try again.
Forming your macaroons - Transfer meringue to a piping bag or large plastic bag with a corner cut off. Pipe meringue into small heaps onto your prepared baking sheet. You can also use two spoons to gently scoop and form mounds of meringue on the baking sheet. A medium (1.5 tablespoon) cookie scoop also works to perfectly portion meringue into 24 cookies.
Cool before moving - Allow your macaroons to cool completely on the baking sheet before they're moved. If your cookies are sticking to the parchment, it means they need more time in the oven or haven't cooled completely.
Storage
Hazelnut macaroons will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. Macaroons can also be frozen for a month or more in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place on the countertop for one hour or more.
Frequently asked questions
Hasel = Hazel
Nuss= Nut
Makronen = Macaroon
If your macaroons are sticky after cooling completely, it means that they may be slightly undercooked or you're baking in a humid environment. Meringue (the egg white and sugar base of the recipe) can be tricky to bake in a humid or rainy environment and can absorb moisture in the air. Try placing your macaroons back in a low-temperature oven, about 200 degrees Fahrenheit, for 10 minutes at a time, until they dry out slightly.
While your cookies will spread slightly while baking, they shouldn't spread so much that they pool together. This can happen if your egg whites weren't whipped enough (they should be whipped to stiff peaks) or if they were overbeaten, lumpy, and separating. Spreading can also happen if your cookie sheet was greased rather than lined with parchment.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Haselnussmakronen
Ingredients
- 3 large (105 g) egg whites (US), or 3 medium egg whites in Europe*
- ¾ cup (85 g) confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (185 g) ground hazelnuts, or hazelnut flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 24 whole hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (do not use grease/cooking spray) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (about 2 minutes). Whites should look smooth, not lumpy (if lumpy, your eggs have been overwhipped and you'll need to start over). Add confectioner's sugar and gently mix until fully incorporated and glossy. Add vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients - ground hazelnuts, salt, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and gently fold in until evenly incorporated.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, two spoons, or a piping bag, drop into 1.5 tablespoon heaps onto lined baking sheet. Top each cookie with a whole hazelnut.
- Bake for about 23-26 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and the tops look set and dry to the touch. Macaroons should no longer feel sticky.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before removing from baking sheet to a cooling rack. You may need a thin metal spatula or butter knife to assist.
- Macaroons can feel sticky if you're baking in a humid or rainy environment. To dry out sticky macaroons, place them in a 200℉ oven for 10 minutes at a time until they no longer feel sticky.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Lining baking sheet: Parchment paper, or a clean silicone baking mat, must be used to line your baking sheet. Adding grease/cooking spray to your baking sheet will cause the macaroons to spread when baking. Macaroons will stick to an unlined baking sheet.
- Egg sizes: * Standard egg sizes vary between the US and Europe. In the US, large eggs are about the same size as a European medium egg.
- To make your own ground hazelnuts: place whole hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until the desired texture is achieved. You're looking for a coarse texture similar to a meal, but not as fine as a flour.
- Storage: Macaroons can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Baked macaroons can also be frozen for a month or more.
- More tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
Hello, I haven't tried these cookies yet. Just got the first batch out of the oven. I waited 7 minutes and am inpatient. I wanted see how they taste. Trying to remove one from the parchment paper, it stuck to it. I tried to remove another one. It stuck too. If I leave them on the paper like you said til they are completely cooled, will they not stick to the paper? At this point I am leaving them alone. I just have to wait to try them 😩
Hi Renee! Are the cookies sticky on top? If so, they may be underbaked. Return underbaked cookies to a preheated oven for another 3 to 5 minutes. If they're not underbaked, the cookies will release from the parchment once they're cooled. You may need to use a butter knife or thin metal spatula to assist.
The hazelnuts I purchased still have the papery skins on them. Should I remove them before grinding the nuts?
I beleive my Oma would briefly blanch hazelnuts, then roll them in a kitchen towel to remove the skins for some of her recipes.
Hi Angela! Yes, I'd recommend rolling them in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the skin as possible.
the cookies tasted fantastic. great recipe. Just one question. Are they suppose to feel a bit sticky? I took them out of the oven when they started to brown, cooled them on the paper then took em off and hours later put them into a tin. They taste great but feel a bit too moist to the touch???
If your macaroons are sticky, they may be slightly underbaked. Were they sticking to the parchment paper at all? They could also be slightly sticky if the humidity in your home is high.
You can buy Back Oblaten off the internet. These are used in Germany and they make the cookies soooo easy to get off the cooking sheet. No parchment needed. Just make sure to spread cookies to cover the disk.
Following instructions exactly but these cookies spread out so much while baking that they were not recognizable as cookies? Why do they spread like that?
Hi Daisy, while macaroons spread a little in the oven, this sounds like something else happened. Macaroons may spread if the egg whites are whipped too little or too much (they should look smooth and hold a peak, but not look lumpy). Or if some grease/fat came in contact with the eggs, it can prevent them from whipping properly (much like a meringue). A bit of egg yolk making it into the bowl, residual grease in the bowl, or grease on the baking sheet can also cause this.
So your not supposed to grease the cookie sheet? I used non stick spray and also used the wafers to put my dough on. I tried putting dough on cookie sheet without non stick spray but they still spread and stuck to cookie sheet. Instructions were not clear regarding greasing cookie sheet.
I'm sorry to hear your cookies didn't turn out. The first step of the recipe states to line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I'll add a note in the recipe card as to why parchment paper needs to be used rather than grease/cooking spray.
My mother used to make for Christmas. So good!!! This was how I remember her making them.
Hello. I would love to try these biscuits, but need the weight of ingredients in pounds & ounces please.
Thank you.
Terri Dickinson.
Hi Terri, the gram measurements are shown in parentheses in the recipe card. Hope this helps!
Aren’t these so gorgeous? I love European Christmas cookies and hazelnuts are my favourite nuts. They look amazing!
Thank you! I agree, I love European desserts too 😊