Description
Baci di Dama, or Lady’s Kisses, are traditional Italian cookies made from toasted hazelnuts, sweetened butter dough, and sandwiched with rich dark chocolate. These delicate, melt-in-your-mouth treats blend the nutty flavor of hazelnuts with the smoothness of bittersweet chocolate, perfect for an elegant dessert or afternoon snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 150 g toasted and skinned hazelnuts (about 1 cup)
- ⅔ cup (85 g) all‑purpose flour (or rice flour for gluten‑free)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Pinch of fine salt
- 6 Tbsp (85 g) unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces
Chocolate Filling
- ≈ 2 oz (55 g) dark or bittersweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325 °F (160 °C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Prepare Nut Mixture: Grind the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse polenta. Then add granulated sugar, salt, and flour; pulse the mixture until well combined.
- Add Butter: Add cold, small pieces of butter to the nut and flour mixture, pulsing about 20–25 times until the dough just begins to hold together.
- Knead Dough: Transfer the dough onto a work surface and knead it briefly into a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Shape Cookies: Roll the chilled dough into small marble-sized balls approximately 1 cm in diameter. Place them about 1.5 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Chill the balls again for 30 to 60 minutes to help maintain their shape during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10–15 minutes until they turn just golden on top. For a more delicate pale finish, bake initially at 300 °F (150 °C) for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 250 °F (120 °C) and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets or wire racks before assembling.
- Prepare Chocolate: Melt the dark or bittersweet chocolate using a bain-marie or gently in the microwave. Allow the melted chocolate to cool slightly for about 10 minutes until it thickens.
- Assemble Cookies: Invert half of the cookies so their flat side is up. Pipe or spoon the thickened chocolate onto each one. Top each with a second cookie to form a sandwich, press gently, and let them set until firm, approximately 15 to 30 minutes.
Notes
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with rice flour as suggested.
- Toasting and skinning hazelnuts enhances their flavor and texture in the cookies.
- Chilling the dough before shaping and after helps maintain the cookies’ delicate shape and texture.
- The two-step baking at lower temperature gives the cookies a tender, pale finish, while the higher temperature yields a slightly golden top.
- Use a good-quality dark or bittersweet chocolate for the sandwich filling to balance sweetness and bitterness.
