Bird nests with hemp flour

Every year at Christmas time, people look forward to baking or eating cookies – or both! The bird's nests not only add some variety to baking: Crispy shortcrust pastry as the base, airy macaroon mixture on top, and soft jam in the middle guarantee a fabulous taste experience. And on top of that, these sweet delights also look truly irresistible. We wish you lots of fun in the Christmas bakery.

Ingredients for shortcrust pastry:

• 125g powdered sugar
• 250g cold butter
• 300g flour
• 50g organic hemp flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 packet vanilla sugar

Macaroon mixture:

• 5 egg whites
• 2 pinches of salt
• 170g powdered sugar
• 250g ground almonds
• 150g ground hazelnuts
• Jam (redcurrant)

Preparation:

Knead a shortcrust pastry quickly from flour, hemp flour, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, cold butter, and egg yolk. Chill the dough for at least one hour. Then beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in salt and powdered sugar. Mix almonds and hazelnuts and gently fold in.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry to about 2.5–3mm thin and cut out small flowers or circles. Pipe nests with the macaroon mixture onto the flowers and bake in a preheated oven (180°C convection) for about 15–20 minutes.
Warm the jam, fill the cooled nests with it, and let them dry.

Image source: © Tabea Walch / Hanafsan