Brutti Ma Buoni

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick baking paper. Put the hazelnuts and icing sugar in a heavy saucepan. Beat the egg whites until stiff in a bowl, then add to the pan. Place the pan over moderate heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring all the time, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan and is a light golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Scoop out the mixture with 2 teaspoons into rough mounds and place them spaced apart on the baking paper to allow for slight spreading during cooking. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the biscuits on the paper to wire racks and leave to cool (they will harden on cooling). Makes about 20. These biscuits literally mean "ugly but good" which describes them perfectly!! They are a speciality of the Veneto region in Italy. They are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.