Preparation time: approximately 45 minutes, Chilling time 2 hours, Baking time 5 minutes per batch

Makes approximately 80 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 200 g hazelnuts
• 200 g ground almonds
• 200 g sugar
• 50 g candied orange peel
• 50 g lemon peel
• 3 fresh egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons of Zwetschgenwasser ( a fruit eau de vie, distilled from fermented damsons) If not available substitute with Kirsch
• 7 tablespoons icing sugar

Method:

• toast in batches in a frying pan tilt golden brown, stirring continuously, tip into bowl and cool slightly
• Mix ground hazelnuts, ground almonds, sugar, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, 3 fresh eggs lightly beaten and Zwetschgenwasser or Kirsch to make a dough with a pastry scraper. Cover and chill for 2 hours
• Divide dough above into pieces for each of batch of biscuits. Slit open 2 freezer bags to make 2 plastic sheets. Place dough between the sheets and roll out approximately 7 mm thick. Cut into rectangular approximately 24 cm and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
• Bake for approximately 5 minutes in the middle of a preheated oven to 200 C. Remove, slide biscuits, still on baking parchment, onto a wire rack, and cool.
• For the icing of these biscuits – mix in a small bowl the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of Zwetschgenwasser of Kirsch. Dip the top of the biscuit in the icing, let the excess drip off, place on a wire rack and leave till icing is dry

Keeping time:

• Stored in an airtight tin, layers separated by baking parchment, will keep for approximately 2 weeks.
• Zwetschgenwasser is a fruit eau-de-vie, distilled from fermented damsons. If this is not available you can use Kirsch as a substitute,

Per biscuit: 3 g fat, 1 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 49 calories – recipe & photo from The Swiss Cookbook by Betty Bossi