A Trip to Turin & Soft Hazelnut Biscuits

Earlier this summer I headed to Italy for a few days to visit a friend ending her year studying abroad in Turin. I completely fell in love with the place, from the delicious food and coffee to the glorious weather and architecture. Keen to take a piece of Italy home to the fam in (then) rainy England, I picked up a bag of authentic-looking biscuits called 'dolcetto morbido alla nocciola' from a delicatessen, however after trying them I soon realised I should have purchased multiple bags - they were seriously good. After a bit of googling it became clear that unless I wanted to pay a small fortune to order them direct from Italy, there was no way of getting them in the UK and so I would have to create my own recipe. The best way of describing them is like a soft amaretti biscuit, but with hazelnuts instead of almonds. The chewy nutty inside is reminiscent of Nutella without the chocolatey-ness - very fitting seeing as Turin is the home of the infamous spread. Anyway, if you are a biscuit or nut-lover, I suggest you give these a go as they are not only quick and easy but a totally delicious and morish teatime snack. I have included some of my touristy snaps of beautiful Turin, however for some more professional photography of the place be sure to check out my friend Mhairi's travel journal HERE - she's a lot more pro with a camera as you will see…

To make 12 larger or 24 little Dolcetto Morbido Alla Nocciola (Soft Hazelnut Biscuits) you will need…

- 100g ground hazelnuts (I blitzed whole hazelnuts, skin on, in a coffee grinder)

- 100g caster sugar

- 1 tbsp plain flour

- A pinch of salt

- 1 large egg white

You will need to…

- Sieve together the ground hazelnuts, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl.

- Whisk the egg white until almost soft peaks, then stir into the dry ingredients. Knead with your hands until a soft dough comes together.

- Break off small amounts and roll the dough  small balls - dust your hands with icing sugar if it is a bit sticky. Place the balls on a lined baking tray leaving a little space to spread, and press gently to slightly to flatten each one.

- Preheat your oven to 150 C, leaving the biscuits to sit and dry for about 15 minutes whilst the oven warms.

- Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until tops are firm and cracked and the bottoms are a little golden. Leave to cool on the tray for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 Enjoy! C x