Chestnut coins

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 3 egg whites
• 250 g powdered sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp, smothered cinnamon
• 1 pinch of cardamom
• 350 g almonds, ground
• 100 g chestnuts, cooked (canned chestnuts)
• 60 g flour
• 1 tsp orange peel
• 2 ¾ tsp cocoa powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

Refined Christmas cookies

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, sift the icing sugar, and fold in a tablespoon at a time. Set aside about 4 generous tablespoons of the mixture. Fold the vanilla sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and enough almonds into the egg whites to make the batter barely sticky (you can use a little more than 400g of almonds). Puree the chestnuts and knead them into the batter along with the flour, orange zest, and 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder. Form into 4 rolls about the size of a 1-euro symbol, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 130°C top/bottom heat (100°C fan-assisted oven). Cut the rolls into approximately 1cm-thick slices, shape them, and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Take about 2 teaspoons of the reserved meringue mixture and mix with the remaining cocoa powder. Spoon the light meringue mixture onto the coins, place a drop of cocoa meringue mixture in the center, and use a wooden skewer to draw a star shape. Bake on the middle rack for about 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 100°C (80°C fan oven) and bake for another 15 minutes. This makes about 2 baking trays full. The coins taste best when they’ve been left to rest for a few days. The chestnuts keep them moist and soft inside.