Preheat the oven to 170 °C (150 °C fan) and get a baking tray ready. Chop the hazelnuts into small pieces.
Mix the chestnut flour, soft butter, egg and maple syrup into a smooth dough. Work in the chopped hazelnuts evenly.
Shape the dough into small, flat cookies. Spread them out on the baking tray with a little space between them.
Bake the cookies at 170 °C for 12–15 min, until lightly golden brown. Then leave them to cool right on the tray so they firm up.
Check the texture once they've cooled. If you like them a little firmer, leave them out in the air for a short while longer.
Serve the chestnut flour cookies on their own or with coffee and tea. In a well-sealed tin they stay pleasantly tender for a few days.
Good to know
These cookies are simple and special at the same time. They taste mildly sweet and slightly nutty, with a wonderfully tender crumb. Just right when you want to bake something small to go with coffee.
Swaps
Butter → ghee (usually slightly fewer milk solids) | Hazelnuts → almonds (also contain vitamin E) | Maple syrup → date paste (brings natural sweetness and some fibre) | Butter → coconut oil (plant-based alternative with a different fat profile)
Allergens
Contains egg, milk and tree nuts (hazelnuts). Usually suitable for children as long as nuts have been introduced at an appropriate age, and generally unremarkable during pregnancy as long as the egg and cookies are fully baked.
