How to make German hazelnut macaroons for Christmas

Our cheeky squirrel loves the hazelnuts from our tree. It’s a wild animal but spends much time bouncing around in our garden, its feathery tail twitching to and fro, cheeks bulging with collected nuts.

Each hazelnut we use reduces the squirrel’s bounty. We tend to be stingy about what we use.

Every year, my Mother-in-Law makes her Spritzgebäck for Christmas. She also normally makes these German hazelnut macaroons. Not only are they delicious and light, but they use up the leftover egg whites from the Spritzgebäck.

And the hazelnuts from our garden, of course, at least those our cheeky squirrel isn’t hoarding.

Today we’re sharing her recipe for these traditional German Christmas cookies.

Short & sweet

TASTE: Light and nutty
EASE: The mixture’s a little sticky, but these biscuits are very easy to make
PROS: Using the leftover egg whites
CONS: Inciting squirrel hoarding tendencies
AGAIN?: Definitely. Every Christmas

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What are macaroons?

Macaroons – as opposed to macarons – are small cakes or cookies normally made from ground almonds, coconut, or other nuts.

Both use egg whites as a base. Macarons use almond flour, come in different colours, are much smoother, and are often joined together with a flavored filling.

Macaroons are also called hazelnut kisses. They are much coarser than macarons and normally use ground almonds, shredded coconut, or other ground nuts. These German hazelnut macaroons are my favourite, and my MIL uses hazelnuts from our garden. When we don’t have enough hazelnuts, my MIL uses ground almonds instead.

A “family” recipe for German hazelnut macaroons

I hesitate to call this one a family recipe, but in many ways it is.

The recipe comes from a book called “Handbuch für die Weihnachtsbäckerei” (Christmas bakery handbook) that Pfeifer & Langen, one of the local sugar companies, released as a promotional gift. I am not sure when it was produced, but I assume in the early 1980s, judging by the decor, the hand mixers, the prices (still in Deutsche Mark), and the references to images (the most recent is from 1977).

If the recipe book was a promotional gift, why am I even considering calling it a family recipe?

My MIL is a Langen. The sugar company was founded and is still owned by cousins.

And with the love and patience she puts into shelling and grinding the hazelnuts for this recipe, how could I not call it a family recipe?

(To be honest: this time I used a packet of roasted and ground hazelnuts, but I also had a little helper. Even with Miss M insisting she be allowed to sift the icing sugar herself, these German hazelnut macaroons took next to no time to make.)

Tips for the perfect German hazelnut macaroons

These German hazelnut macaroons are the perfect complement when you are baking Spritzgebäck, Terraces, vanille Kipferl, or even black and white cookies. Like our pavlova recipe, macaroons use leftover egg whites.

In our case, these traditional German Christmas cookies also use the hazelnuts growing in our garden.

What are Oblaten?

This recipe also uses Oblatenm a wafer similar to edible paper and often used for the “bread” in holy communion (Eucharist).

They help keep the (very!) sticky macaroon mixture together and stop them from drying out.

For this recipe, you need small Oblaten, not the large ones used for German Lebkuchen (gingerbread). You can find Oblaten here (you might also get some at a specialty store), or cut your own out of edible paper (approx. 5cm or 1.5″ diameter).

If you can’t find any Oblaten, bake these German hazelnut macaroons without them. Ensure you line the tray with baking paper. If you use Oblaten and baking paper (and even on some baking trays), the biscuits slide around quite a bit, so be careful when putting the tray in the oven or use a baking mat.

Egg whites

When you’re beating the egg whites, make sure that the bowl and whisk/mixer attachment you use are both clean and free of any dust or grease.

You should also ensure that the eggs are separated properly and that there is no yolk in the egg white. Yolks contain fat which prevents the egg whites from forming soft peaks.

Did you know that you can keep separated egg whites in the fridge and you can even freeze them?

Separated egg whites will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Freeze egg whites at -18 °c for 6 to 10 months in an airtight freezer container in the freezer (egg yolks will keep for up to 12 months). Defrost them completely before using them.

The easiest way to form German hazelnut macaroons

Normally, you can spoon the macaroon mix onto the Oblate using two teaspoons. Sometimes it is too sticky (I think it depends on how fresh the ground hazelnuts are).

If it is sticky, dust your hands with powdered sugar and roll the mixture into small balls between your palms. Place each ball on an Oblate (or just on the tray) and push down to flatten a little.

Chocolate?

Normally, German hazelnut macaroons have a hazelnut pushed into the top of the biscuit (before baking). They don’t have chocolate. If you are trying to cut down on Christmas excess, push a hazelnut into the top of each macaroon before they go into the oven. 

Ilse, my exchange partner’s mother (also German) made hers with a small dollop of white chocolate on top to ‘glue’ a hazelnut in place. I prefer them this way. It looks a little like snow to me. (And you’ll might have some white chocolate left over from our black and white cookies).

Give your German hazelnut macaroons some more punch

If you like (and you don’t mind straying away from the traditional recipe), you can add a teaspoon of vanilla sugar or vanilla essence to the mixture.

Alternatively, they taste great with a little more chocolate. Sift one tablespoon of cocoa powder together with the icing sugar.

For not-so-traditional German Christmas cookies, add two teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved in two tablespoons of water. Add the cocoa with the icing sugar, then fold in the coffee after the hazelnuts. You may need to add a little more icing sugar if the mixture is too runny.

How long will hazelnut macaroons keep?

You can’t freeze hazelnut macaroons. Any biscuits or cakes with an egg white base will not freeze well.

To keep your hazelnut macaroons fresh, wait until they have cooled completely then place them in an airtight container. Some people like to use wax paper between layers of biscuits in your biscuit tin. For macaroons, German experts suggest using aluminium foil instead of wax paper, or placing the biscuits in a freezer or ziplock bag.

One suggestion – I have not yet tried – is to place half a lime or lemon, cut side up in the tin with the cookies. I assume a chemical reaction with the citric acid will prevent the cookies from becoming soggy and dense.

Make some German hazelnut macaroons this Christmas!

These easy German hazelnut macaroons are light and delicious and very easy to make. They’re also the best way to use the egg whites you’ll have left over after making some of our other traditional German Christmas cookies!

When will you and your assistant baker be making some of these German hazelnut macaroons this Christmas?

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