Italian Cookies (Baci di Dama)
Made with two light bite-size hazelnut cookies joined with dark chocolate, this traditional recipe is from the northwest region of Italy.Based on a recipe from Natasha's Kitchen recipe blog, December 4, 2018.
Servings: 40 cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups hazelnuts roasted and skinned
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Roast and Peel Hazelnuts
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread nuts in single layer on pan. Bake 10 - 15 minutes, tossing frequently. Remove before they start to brown.
- To peel, allow to cool completely. Transfer nuts to ziplock bag and rub from outside. Shake bag until skins fall to bottom.
- Place nuts in food processor and pulse until the consistency of flour with small pieces.
Cookies
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In large bowl of stand mixer whisk together ground hazelnuts, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add cold butter pieces and vanilla; mix until butter pieces are no longer visible and a dough forms.
- Use a small melon baller or ice cream scoop to form 2 teaspoon size balls. Arrange on baking sheet 1 1/2" apart. Press the top of each ball to flatten. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- 15 minutes before chilling time is up, place oven rack in center and preheat to 325°F.
- Bake cookies 17 - 18 minutes, until just beginning to brown on top. Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.
Assembling
- In top of double boiler over hot but not boiling water, melt chocolate chips.
- Spread approximately 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate on flat bottom of one cookie. Top with a second cookie. Allow to cool approximately 30 minutes to set.
Notes
The same amount of hazelnut or almond flour (240 g) may be substituted for the hazelnuts.