Brutti Ma Buoni

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Toast the hazelnuts for 3-4 minutes, then add the almonds to the other side of the tray and toast another 3-4 minutes, until both nuts are fragrant and just slightly gold. (it’s harder to see when the hazelnuts are done, but they should be fragrant and if you taste one it’ll have a much richer flavor than when raw.) Keeping the nuts separate, remove to two plates and set them in the freezer to cool.

When the nuts are cool, peel the hazelnuts by rubbing them between your fingers. The toasted skins will usually fall off quite easily; don't worry about any that remain on.

Combine the almonds and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse to grind finely, making sure that the nuts don’t become oily or butter-y (the powdered sugar helps with this). Remove to a bowl. Add the hazelnuts to the processor with the remaining tablespoon of powdered sugar. Combine the almonds and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse to grind finely, making sure that the nuts don’t become oily or butter-y (the powdered sugar helps with this). Remove to a bowl. Add the hazelnuts to the processor with the remaining tablespoon of powdered sugar.

Put the egg whites into a bowl and whip them until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar slowly, while continuing to beat for another thirty seconds or so (with a handheld mixer). By then, the eggs should be quite firm and somewhat smooth/silken.

Fold in the nuts, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract.

Turn the batter into a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot. Over the lowest heat, cook it, stirring frequently but not constantly, for 15-20 minutes. (Use a pan that cleans up easily—the egg whites and sugar do grow sticky during this.) As you cook, the batter will deflate and grow more molasses-y. It will also darken in color. When it is fragrant and hot to the touch, remove from the burner. Let the batter rest for about 15 minutes.

While you're cooking the batter, preheat the oven to 315°F (or turn it down if you left it on from the nut toasting). Using two spoons, heap mounds of batter the size of 2.5 tablespoons on the baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops look dried out and the cookies are firm but not browned. Cool completely. These keep for days in an airtight container.