AI-generated image
Carajitos del profesor
Crisp hazelnut biscuits
Carajitos del profesor: crackly hazelnut biscuits from the town of Salas
Salas, a small town on the old pilgrim road through western Asturias, is known for these cracked, chewy mounds of toasted hazelnut and sugar. Local lore says they were first baked for a teacher at the town's school, and the pastry shops still sell them by the bag to travellers and to families heading home from Sunday market. They need only three ingredients and no flour, so they suit anyone avoiding gluten. Chef's tip: toast the hazelnuts until they smell like praline before grinding them; it is what gives the biscuits their deep flavour.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz blanched hazelnuts
- 7 oz caster sugar
- 2 egg whitesfrom large eggs
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)for dusting
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Spread 9 oz blanched hazelnuts on a tray and toast at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let them cool, then set the oven to 350°F fan-off and line a baking tray with baking paper.
10 minStep 2: Blitz the hazelnuts with 7 oz caster sugar in a food processor until finely ground but not oily. Stop as soon as it looks like damp sand: overworking turns it into a paste.
Step 3: Whisk 2 egg whites with a fork just until frothy, then stir them into the nut mixture to make a thick, sticky dough that you can scoop.
Step 4: With wet hands, form walnut-sized balls (about 25 g) and set them 4 cm apart on the tray. Press each one lightly so it is a low dome. You should get about 18.
Step 5: Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the surface has cracked and turned golden brown at the edges but the centres still feel soft when pressed. A common mistake is baking them until firm; they harden as they cool and will end up dry.
14 minStep 6: Cool on the tray for 10 minutes before lifting them off, then finish cooling on a rack. Dust with icing sugar if you like and keep them in a tin for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does carajitos del profesor take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Arroz con pitu de caleyaSoupy rice with chicken
A pitu de caleya is a cockerel raised free in the lanes, or caleyas, of rural Asturias; its firm, flavourful meat needs long stewing, and families around Villaviciosa and Grado still cook it for feast days. The stew is often finished as a soupy rice, so the deep chicken juices go into every grain. Use the best free-range chicken you can find. The braise includes dry white wine; replace it with extra stock and a squeeze of lemon if you want it alcohol-free. Chef's tip: brown the chicken slowly and deeply; that colour is where the flavour of the whole pot comes from.
All i pebreEel and potato paprika stew
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
Escudella i carn d'ollaChristmas soup with giant pasta
This contains pork (pork belly and pork mince). On Christmas Day, Catalan families sit down to escudella i carn d'olla, served in two courses: first the broth with giant snail-shaped galets pasta, then the carn d'olla, a platter of the meats, chickpeas and vegetables that made it, including the pilota, a large herby meatball. The pot simmers for hours, and the leftovers become the next day's canelons. Chef's tip: start the meats in cold water and skim patiently as it comes to the boil; it is the only way to a clear, golden broth.