Toasted Meringue Hazelnut Blondies

By Tanya Bush

These brutti-ma-buoni-inspired hazelnut blondies take inspiration from the namesake Italian meringue cookie, which translates to “ugly but good. ” While I don’t think the original cookies are ugly, I’ve translated their combination of toasted hazelnuts and caramelized meringue into a slightly more visual format: a chewy and fudgy brown butter blondie baked with a layer of crunchy hazelnuts on top and finished with swoops of torched meringue. The meringue is really a bonus—the blondies are excellent even without it.