While cleaning their study, some friends found an old copy of The Settlement Cookbook. And guess what? They gave it to me, the local cookbook hoarder. Just kidding. I'm better about curating my cookbook collection now, but The Settlement Cookbook is a treasure. It's also the source of this recipe for naturally gluten-free Filbert Macaroons.
About The Settlement Cookbook
First published in the early 1900s, The Settlement Cookbook was written for Eastern European immigrant women to help them assimilate. Through the years it became a staple in American kitchens for its practical, community-minded recipes and clear instructions. What's interesting to me is the variety of recipes. It skews heavily toward Jewish breads and desserts, and Eastern European cakes, while the entrees are Americanized dishes from other countries like Spaghetti and Meatballs, Meatloaf, Chicken Cantonese and Chicken Tetrazzini. They must have been very cool and modern back then!
Filbert Macaroons and Hazelnut Flour
But back to these macaroons. Filberts are more commonly known as hazelnuts, while macaroons refer to the type of flourless cookies typically made with egg whites, ground nuts, coconut and the like. The book has several variations, but I went with filbert/hazelnut because I had some Bob's Red Mill hazelnut flour and figured I could get off easy using that instead of toasting and grinding the nuts It worked perfectly.
The Flavor and Texture
The cookies, once cool, have a chewy texture with crunchy edges. I was worried the hazelnut flour might be too fine compared to home-ground nuts, but it's just perfect. Plus the fine grind makes a batter that pipes easily (not that you have to pipe). As for the flavor, the cookies are loaded with filbert/hazelnut flavor, but that hint of lemon and cinnamon brings it all home.
Piping vs. Spooning
As much as I loved the flavor of the Filbert Macaroons, their (spooned) appearance left something to be desired. Because they are so easy, I made another quick batch and piped them out of a large disposable piping bag fitted with a star tip. Below is the batter, and you can see what the final cookies looked like above. The star shaped ones were superior not only because of their appearance, but the ridges baked up crispy for more crispy/chewy contrast.
A Few Final Notes
I really wanted to stay true to the book's recipe and almost did, but I changed the baking temp from 278F to 325F. If you want to bake at 278, give it a go. You'll get a more even color, but you may need to bake longer than 30 minutes. For one batch, I had to use lime zest instead of lemon. It was not a bad switch and reminded me of another old cookie with hazelnuts, white chocolate, lime and pepper. It's one I need to re-post. But overall these are very good and naturally gluten-free.
Recipe
Filbert Macaroons
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Flour or equivalent weight whole toasted hazelnuts (1 ¼ cups) (150 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large egg whites (65 grams)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (130 grams)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If you would like to pipe the batter, go ahead and set up a large piping bag with a star tip.
- If using toasted hazelnuts, grind them. Otherwise, measure out the hazelnut flour and mix with cinnamon, lemon zest and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks just start to form. Don't overdo it.
- Gently fold hazelnut mixture and lemon juice into the egg whites until evenly combined.
- Drop batter by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. For the spoon, it's supposed to be rounded teaspoonfuls, but it's easier to just approximate the amount and drop it off a regular teaspoon rather than a measuring teaspoon.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set and lightly dry on the outside.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet before removing.
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