Almond and hazelnut cookies (M'chekla aux noix)

Preparation steps

• Mix sifted flour with sugar. Melt the butter at a low temperature, cool and add to the dough. Stir the egg yolks in a little water (approx. 1/2 dl) and add to the dough, stirring constantly. Add the water slowly and knead until you get a soft dough (it should not be sticky). Wrap it in foil and let it rest for about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling - mix the peeled and finely ground almonds with the finely ground toasted hazelnuts. Add powdered sugar, bourbon vanilla and mix everything well. Beat the eggs lightly, add the melted and cooled butter, then slowly add to the mixture and knead. The mixture should not be sticky, if the eggs are a little bigger, you may not need the whole amount. Wrap in foil and leave for about 1/2 hour at room temperature.
• First roll out the dough, fold in a third, roll out again, fold again and roll out. Take a piece of dough and roll it out very thinly - 1.5 mm thick - a pasta machine can be very useful here. I have a "smart" roller with which I roll the thickness as desired.
• Using a round cutter with serrated edges, cut out circles 4 to 5 cm in diameter. Roll out the filling to a thickness of 4 mm and cut twice as many circles with the same cutter.
• Coat each circle of stuffing with lightly beaten egg whites first on one side and stick a circle of dough. Repeat the procedure on the other side. Make sure the serrated edges match.
• You can roll out two whole thin sheets of dough and stuffing and put them on top of each other and then drill the circles in three layers. So it is simpler, but very much a waste of glued dough with stuffing. I worked that way, and I kneaded the leftovers together, added all the leftover dough for the flakes and stars, rolled them into a rolling pin and then baked them, and then cut them into small cubes.
• Lightly pressing the knife on the upper side, make small dashes - for decoration. Coat the edges of the circle diametrically opposite with egg whites and join them. If desired, you can put a quarter of a walnut or almond for decoration on top. First you need to coat the place where you will stick it with egg white. I kneaded cocoa into the rest of the dough and then cut out the stars and glued them. Here, indulge in your own inspiration.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180 * for about 15 minutes on the lowest rack so that they do not darken from above. Adjust the time to the oven, mine bakes a little weaker.
• Made as wreaths ....
• .... and like flowers