This is the third recipe for brutti ma buoni – Italian “ugly but good” hazelnut cookies.
It’s very different to the others I’ve tried, or read, as it doesn’t involve whisking the egg whites. All the other recipes I’ve seen involve whisked egg whites, resulting in cookies with a meringue or macaroon-type character. Not these, which are still delicous, but much more crunchy little lumps, reminiscent of coconut macaroons, unlike the more disc-like previous version I tried, or the knobbly mounds of the first recipe I tried.
So many variations with so few variables!
Anyway, this recipe is from my favourite baker, Dan Lepard (whose personal site is still pending an update; it’s been down for yonks now, sadly!). His recipes in the Guardian newspaper are almost always reliable, and I recommend the book that collects them, Short and Sweet. I also heartily recommend his bread book, The Handmade Loaf. Of the three recipes I’ve tried for brutti ma buoni, however, I must admit this is my least favourite: I just prefer the texture when the egg whites are whisked.
The full recipe, along with Dan L’s panettone recipe, is available here.
Bread, Cakes And Ale 
no whipping egg whites, hurrah! whipped egg whites and I, we don’t get along. might give this a go.
So you don’t like meringue-type textures SG, or you don’t like whisking egg whites? I do reckon mk II are better.
I just can’t seem to whip egg whites, they always end up flopping or separating. So I go for non-egg white whipping recipes as disaster prevention! BUT can’t put it off forever, so will give meringue another try soon.
Main thing with whipping egg whites is to have a very clean bowl – if there’s any grease in there, it’ll prevent the eggs inflating. Always good to say scald the bowl with boiling water first. Oh, and don’t whip them before you need them. And better if they’re at RT or a little warm, not fridge temp.
Thank you, good tips, you’ve encouraged me to have another go!