Main courses
Baci di Dama
Delicate Italian hazelnut cookies from Piedmont, baked into tender little domes and joined with dark chocolate for an elegant, buttery bite.
Easy
Method
- 1
If your hazelnuts are not already toasted, bake them at 160°C / 320°F for 8–10 minutes, cool fully, then rub off most of the skins.
- 2
Pulse the hazelnuts with the sugar until very fine, but stop before they turn into paste.
- 3
In a bowl, combine the ground hazelnut mixture, almond flour, all-purpose flour, and salt.
- 4
Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the vanilla.
- 5
Press the dough together gently until smooth. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
- 6
Divide the dough into small equal pieces and roll 48 tiny balls, each about 2.5 cm / 1 inch wide. Place them on lined trays with space between them.
- 7
Chill the shaped dough again for 15 minutes so the cookies keep their round shape in the oven.
- 8
Bake at 160°C / 320°F for 14–16 minutes, until lightly golden underneath but still pale on top. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
- 9
Melt the dark chocolate gently over a bain-marie or in short microwave bursts, stirring until smooth. Let it cool slightly so it thickens a little.
- 10
Pipe or spoon a small dot of chocolate onto the flat side of one cookie, then sandwich with another. Leave to set completely before serving.
- 11
Dish type
- 12
Italian dessert cookie
- 13
Garnish / serving suggestion
- 14
Serve with espresso, cappuccino, or a small glass of Vin Santo. For a refined finish, plate them on ivory porcelain with a light dusting of cocoa nearby, not on top.
- 15
Notes
- 16
Keep the dough cool at every stage for neat, round cookies.
- 17
Make all cookie balls the same size so they pair easily.
- 18
Let the chocolate cool slightly before filling so it does not run.
- 19
Time
- 20
Prep 25 min + chill 45 min + bake 15 min
- 21
Difficulty
- 22
Easy to medium
- 23
Calories
- 24
About 280 kcal per serving (2 sandwich cookies)