No Fuss- Choc Hazelnut Macaroons or Macarons - Nutella, gluten free and vegan option! - Quick and Fast, ready in 20 minutes!

vegan version with coconut & brown sugar cream and a thick batter. Dense and soft, with less sugar.

Oh no! You have guests coming over in half an hour! Quick whip up these lovely macaroons to have your house smelling gorgeous, a lovely snack to offer with a cuppa, and do a quick tidy up while they bake! Gluten and Dairy free with a vegan option, these macaroons/macarons take the cake- well, they're better than cake! I mean, who doesn't love nutella? Perfect with my Nutella Drink recipe! This recipe is like the similar Brutti Ma Buoni, an italian macaroon recipe. Nothing beats these, fresh from the oven if melted chocolate is your thing, but fully cooled make a lovely crispy, chewy treat!

non vegan version, with more sugar is crispy.

This would make a GREAT tart base. Just sayin'... Blind bake first, add your filling and rebake/set.

Vegan low sugar version is slightly crispy and slightly chewy and soft (reminds me of a baci kiss), and the egg white sugary version is more crispy and dense.

1.
*Preheat oven.  160 degC fanforced. Makes about 24+ bite sized pieces or 12 large ones.
Ingredients to plop into a food processor:
1 c hazelnut meal plus a handful (1/3c) of whole toasted chopped hazelnuts for texture to add in later (or to 1 1/4 c of whole roasted de-husked hazelnuts for a nicer texture and more moistness)
1 c scant Sugar (1/3c heaping also works for a less sweet and less crunchy version - I wouldn't use less sugar than that or the cocoa will definately overpower and make it bitter. This is the "dark chocolate" kind of version for sweetness that I doubt anyone would want less sweet.)
1/4 c cocoa
30g dairy free dark chocolate chopped into tiny cubes (for choc chips) ---Optional. or 2 rows.
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pulse!

vegan version with pourable batter.

2.
Then, add in 3 egg whites (I did 2 real, 1 orgran egg) - (or 2 TB orgran no egg, with about 1/4 c of water - enough to blend it easily but not too much to water down the batter too much. Blend/whisk seperatly till thick and frothy. Add slowly and process- It must be at a spoonable consistency, that wont spread after transfering to the cookie tray- this makes for a chewy cookie). Add the whole hazelnuts if you used meal now for texture. PULSE until encorporated but leave crunchy bits in! It is important to have the right consistency. It should be more of a batter than a dough, yet still hold its form enough to not spread very much once layed onto a pan. Edit this by using more water or hazelnuts. I still need to perfect the water amount, last time the 1/4 cup water needed to almost be doubled to achieve a thick spoonable consistency, that make denser macarons that held shape. Though when they were runny they were a soft delicate texture that was also enjoyed, than once placed on the tray flattened out and baked into a giant cookie once it spread out. The key is just adding a TB of additional water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.


3.
Scoop onto a tray with spoons for a rustic look, or pipe them. Be careful spacing them as they WILL grow a bit. (The vegan ones spread a lot and turn out a bit like a giant cookie but they break apart easily afterwards)

4.
Bake for 10-15mins until the top is nice and crispy, but not burning on the edges. Sandwich with melted bitter-sweet chocolate if desired to make macarons.Or coconut cream whipped with brown sugar.

Make a day before the event, or in the freezer for 3 months. Store in an air tight container for about a week- though I would think they won't last nearly that long....

Taste:
A tad like nutella, very yummy! Addictive! Slight hint of peanuts too. Also taste and texture with the meal is very similar to Baci at the eiffel tower!

Texture:
BEAUTIFUL crispy crust, but the inside is dense, so basically a bit like an ever so slightly dry brownie. There is still an amount of CHEW to them. I believe 1 cup of whole toasted hazelnuts will have a moister cookie as there is less meal to liquid ratio. Perhaps even whipping the whites first will help it to stay lovely and fluffy instead of dense, also. Will test these theories. Though it is so close to perfect I doubt much editing will need to be done. Add more BEATED egg white to make it gooeyer and fluffier (or less meal). The point of this recipe is NO FUSS and QUICK!

Notes:
The low sugar vegan version is a lot chewier, and much less crispy, it could probably use 2 more tsp of the no egg or Xanthan gum, because it seemed a bit delicate and some cookies just fell apart once picked up. Whisk and or measure liduids next time for vegan version.