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1
Preheat oven to 225F.
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2
and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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3
Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip.
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4
In a bowl with am electric mixer beat whites with cream of tartar and salt until they just hold soft peaks.
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5
Add sugar in a stream and beat in vanilla and espresso and cocoa powders, beating until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
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6
Working quickly, fold ground hazelnuts into meringue gently but thoroughly and fill pastry bag with meringue.
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7
Pipe 42 dots (each about 1/2 teaspoon) of meringue onto parchment 1/2 inch apart and top each dot with a whole hazelnut (meringue dots will anchor nuts).
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8
Pipe meringue over hazelnuts, encasing them, to form cookies about 1 inch wide and 1 3/4 inches high.
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9
Bake cookies in middle and lower third of oven, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through baking, 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until meringue os form on the outside and pale golden (cookies will fall during baking).
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10
Remove parchment with cookies from baking sheets and cool on racks (cookies will continue to crisp as they cool).
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11
Carefully peel cookies off parchment.
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12
In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth, and remove from het.
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13
Dip top half of each cookie in melted chocolate, transferring cookies, chocolate sides up, to a wax-paper-lined tray.
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14
Chill cookies until chocolate is hardened, about 15 minutes.
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15
Cookies keep, arranged in layers between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container and chilled, 5 days.
