Pariser Stangen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment
• •Piping bag with 1cm plain round nozzle
• •Two baking trays lined with parchment paper
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Pastry brush (for glazing)

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the hazelnuts

   If your ground hazelnuts haven't been toasted, spread them on a baking tray and put them in a 160°C oven for eight to ten minutes, shaking the tray once halfway through. You're looking for a light golden color and a warm, nutty smell that fills the kitchen. Let them cool completely before you use them. Warm nuts will melt the meringue and you'll lose every bit of air you worked to put in.

   Buy whole hazelnuts and grind them yourself if you can. Pre-ground nuts lose their oils quickly and go stale. A few pulses in a food processor gives you a coarser, more flavorful grind than anything from a bag.
2. 2

   Whip the meringue

   Preheat your oven to 160°C (fan 140°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper. In a spotlessly clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Now add the granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. This is not a step to rush. Each spoonful of sugar needs to dissolve into the whites before the next one goes in. After all the sugar is incorporated, add the Vanillezucker and beat for another full minute. The meringue should be thick, glossy, and hold a stiff peak that curls just slightly at the tip.

   Any trace of fat will stop egg whites from whipping. Wipe your bowl and whisk with a cut lemon before you start. The acid cleans away invisible grease and also helps stabilize the foam.
3. 3

   Fold in the hazelnuts

   Combine the cooled ground hazelnuts with the lemon zest and toss them together. Tip the nut mixture onto the meringue all at once. Now fold, gently, with a large spatula or metal spoon. Cut down through the center, sweep along the bottom of the bowl, and bring the mixture up and over the top. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. You want the nuts evenly distributed with as much air left in the meringue as possible. Ten to twelve folds should do it. If you can still see white streaks, give it two more. If you're stirring in circles, stop. That's not folding, that's deflating.

4. 4

   Pipe the Stangen

   Fit a piping bag with a plain round nozzle, about 1cm wide. Fill the bag with the meringue mixture. Pipe straight lines about 8cm long onto your lined baking trays, leaving two centimeters between each one. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and apply steady, even pressure. Cut the end of each stick cleanly by stopping the pressure and pulling the nozzle sharply to the side. They won't spread much, but they do need space for the heat to circulate evenly.

   If you don't own a piping bag, use a sturdy freezer bag with one corner cut off. Not elegant, but it works. Cut the hole smaller than you think you need. You can always make it bigger.
5. 5

   Bake until crisp

   Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through. The Stangen are done when they feel firm to a light touch and have turned a pale, sandy gold. They should not brown deeply. If the edges are turning dark, your oven is too hot. These biscuits finish crisping as they cool, so pull them when they still have the faintest give in the center. Leave them on the trays for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

6. 6

   Make the lemon glaze

   While the Stangen cool, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time, stirring until you have a smooth, pourable glaze about the thickness of double cream. You want it thin enough to brush but thick enough to leave a visible white coat. Taste it. It should be noticeably tart, not just sweet. The acidity is what makes the glaze more than decoration. If it's too thick, add lemon juice drop by drop. If you overshoot and it's too thin, sift in more powdered sugar.

7. 7

   Glaze and dry

   Using a pastry brush, paint the top of each Stange with a thin, even layer of lemon glaze while they're still slightly warm. The residual warmth helps the glaze bond and set smooth. Work with a light hand. One clean stroke across the top is better than going back and forth, which pulls at the surface and turns the glaze cloudy. Let them dry completely on the rack, at least thirty minutes, until the glaze is matte and firm to the touch. Don't stack them until the glaze has fully set or they'll stick together and you'll ruin every one.

Chef Tips

• •Use real Vanillezucker, not vanilla extract. Austrian Christmas baking depends on it. Bury a split vanilla pod in a jar of caster sugar for a week and you'll have it on hand whenever you need it.
• •The lemon juice in the glaze must be fresh. Bottled lemon juice has a flat, metallic taste that no amount of sugar can hide. One lemon gives you more than enough juice for this recipe.
• •Pariser Stangen improve with age. Store them in a tin lined with parchment paper and they'll be better after three days than they were on day one. The hazelnut flavor deepens and the texture settles into something perfectly balanced between crisp and chewy. They keep for two to three weeks in a sealed tin, which is exactly why they belong in the Christmas Bäckerei rotation.
• •If you can find Austrian hazelnuts or Italian Piedmont hazelnuts, use them. The flavor difference compared to blanched supermarket hazelnuts is real. Darker skin, more oil, more taste.

Advance Preparation

• •Pariser Stangen are built for making ahead. They store beautifully in a sealed tin lined with parchment paper for up to three weeks at room temperature. The flavor actually deepens after the first few days.
• •The meringue batter cannot wait. Once mixed, pipe and bake immediately or the ground nuts will absorb moisture from the egg whites and the Stangen will come out dense and flat.
• •You can toast and grind the hazelnuts a day or two ahead. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 16g)