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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Ugly but Good Cookies (Brutti ma Buoni)

20 Cookies

50 minutes 30 minutes active, plus cooling

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They may not look like much, but they’ve got it where it counts. That’s brutti ma buoni, a satisfyingly chewy, nut-centric Tuscan cookie that translates as “ugly but good.” The folks at Antonio Mattei Premiata Fabrica di Biscotti in Tuscany say they were created there in 1910 by the owner’s wife as a way to use up the crushed almonds and egg whites left behind from making biscotti. Others say the cookies originated elsewhere in northern Italy as a way to utilize the abundance of hazelnuts. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to five days.

20

Cookies

50 minutes

30 minutes active, plus cooling

Ingredients

  • 221

    grams (1½ cups) almonds or 195 grams (1½ cups) hazelnuts

  • 107

    grams (½ cup) plus 2 tablespoons white sugar, divided

Directions

Reviews
Michael F.
September 26, 2025
Belli e buoni
These cookies are not so ugly. They are easy and delicious. It’s nice to have a recipe to reference when I have leftover egg whites.
Nicole M.
September 6, 2025
Very good
Used hazelnuts and they were lovely. Sophisticated flavor in rough and ready cookies.

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