Hazelnut balls

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 200 g butter
• 160 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar (optional)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200 g flour
• 200 g hazelnuts, ground
• 1 egg white
• 50 g hazelnuts, nice whole, for garnishing

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

A traditional recipe from my grandmother in Berlin: Prepare a shortcrust pastry from the first 6 to 7 ingredients listed (vanilla sugar if desired) and refrigerate, preferably overnight. Further processing is easier if the dough is chilled in three rolls, about the thickness of a young zucchini. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. To prepare, roll out marble-sized balls of dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Dip a whole hazelnut in egg white, press it into the ball, and place the baking sheet in the oven. They won’t spread, but will retain their spherical shape. This recipe serves 2 1/2 baking sheets. Preheat oven to 210 to 225°C (425 to 447°F), bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or 180°C (350°F) with fan/convection oven. Be careful, they will brown quickly. Cool completely and store in a sealed container. A great recipe to make with kids, as the dough isn’t very sticky and rolling balls and pressing in nuts is a lot of fun!