Tegole (Italian almond and hazelnut biscuits)

Name: Tegole (Italian almond and hazelnut biscuits)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: Makes 16
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 20g blanched almonds; 20g blanched hazelnuts; 50g caster sugar; 15g unsalted butter, softened; 15g ‘00’ flour (see Know-how); 1 medium egg white; Drop vanilla extract

Portion size: Makes 16
Hands-on time 10 min. Oven time 12 min
Difficulty: easy

Pollyanna Coupland

Food producer, delicious.

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These concave biscuits are named after their shape – tegole means ‘tiles’, as they resemble roof shingles. They’re a tasty, nutty treat from Valle d’Aosta in the Italian Alps and go perfectly with an espresso. The biscuits should last about 24 hours in an airtight container, but they’re best eaten fresh.

Valle d’Aosta is Italy’s smallest region – but it punches above its weight when it comes to food and drink. Nestled among snow-capped mountains, with over 70 castles and a smattering of borghi (historic villages) dotting the rugged landscape, Aosta Valley shares a border with France and Switzerland, which naturally influences the local culture and cuisine. While skiing is an important reason to visit, there’s also a surprisingly rich food scene. Here in the mountains, robust, hearty dishes are the main attraction. This isn’t the place for tomatoes and basil. Beef stews, polenta, butter, cheeses such as fontina, and nuts make up the majority of traditional Aostan dishes.

Browse our full guide to the food of Valle d’Aosta.

Before you start

Traditionally the biscuits are half almond, half hazelnut, but if you’re knocking up a batch for a last-minute coffee morning and you only have one type of nut in the cupboard they’ll work perfectly well.

Be sure to shape the tegole as soon as they come out of the oven and are still soft, as they firm up within a few seconds of cooling.

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Ingredients

20g blanched almonds
20g blanched hazelnuts
50g caster sugar
15g unsalted butter, softened
15g ‘00’ flour (see Know-how)
1 medium egg white
Drop vanilla extract

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Method

Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4 and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Put the almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor and whizz into a fine powder. Add the sugar, butter and flour, then whizz again to combine. Add the egg white and vanilla extract, then whizz once more to form a paste.
Put 1 tsp of the paste on the lined tray and spread it out into a 8-9 cm circle. Continue until all the paste is used up. Bake for 11-12 minutes – they should be golden amber on the outside and paler in the centre when they’re ready.
As soon as they’re out of the oven, carefully peel the biscuits off the paper using a small spatula or thin knife and drape them over a rolling pin or bottle to firm up into a curved roof tile shape.
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Nutrition

40kcals Calories
2.3g (0.6g saturated) Fat
0.8g Protein
4g (3.2g sugars) Carbs
Trace Fibre
Trace Salt

Quick wins & tips

Don’t waste it Lightly whisk, then freeze the leftover egg yolk and defrost to use in an omlette.

Cook smarter

Italian ‘OO’ or doppio zero flour is very finely ground and commonly used to make pasta and pizza dough. The fine powder needs less water to hydrate it, so the dough remains lighter – and here it gives a crisper finish.