These coffee lava stone cookies have an irresistible touch of warm cinnamon. These special little cookies are light and crunchy with rich coffee flavor and snappy toasted hazelnuts. The airy, crisp texture comes courtesy of incorporating beaten egg whites and a pinch of baker’s ammonia into the batter.
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shelled, toasted hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baker’s ammonia (no substitute)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 3 egg whites
Preparation:
Using a food processor, grind the hazelnuts until they have a very coarse pebbly-sandy texture. Using the pulse setting, mix in 1/4 cup sugar, espresso powder, flour, baker’s ammonia, and cinnamon just until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Beat the egg whites on high until they turn frothy. Continue beating them and gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, one teaspoon at a time, to the egg whites. Continue beating the egg whites and sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Gently fold the coffee-nut mixture into the egg whites. Loosely cover the batter, without touching it, and refrigerate it for 2-4 hours. Do not skip this step.
Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop scant teaspoonfuls of batter 1 1/2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until they puff up and turn very light golden brown. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before serving.
This coffee lava stones recipe makes approximately 3 to 4 dozen cookies.
