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baci di dama with a cup of coffee

Baci di Dama

These little gems come from the Piedmont region of Italy, and translates to “lady’s kisses.” The Nutella sandwiched between little hazelnut shortbread just melts in your mouth, and is a delicious end to a party. Put a few aside to pair with your morning coffee!
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Prep Time 35 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Chilling Time 4 hrs
Total Time 30 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 2/3 cup Raw Hazelnuts
  • ¾ cup and 1 T All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/3 cup and 1 T Granulated Sugar
  • 7 T Unsalted Butter cut into cubes, chilled
  • 1 cup Nutella

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven 350º F. Place nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Shake the pan and continue baking until nuts are toasted, about 7 more minutes.
  • Remove the nuts from the oven. Using a kitchen towel, rub them until the loose skins come off. Don’t worry if some of the skins don’t come off. Set aside and allow to completely cool.
    toasted hazelnuts with a kitchen towel over them
  • Place the cooled hazelnuts in the bowl of your food processor. Process until mixture resembles sand.
    food processor with ground hazelnuts
  • Add the flour and sugar. Pulse a few times until combined.
    adding flour and sugar to the food processor
  • Add the cold butter and process until the mixture comes together. It might take a few minutes.
    adding the butter to the mixture
  • Pour the dough onto the counter.
    pouring the dough onto the counter
  • Knead into a ball. Then cut the ball into fourths.
  • Roll one section of the dough into a log about 12 inches long. Cut the log into equal sized pieces, about the size of a small marble.
    rolled dough being cut into small pieces
  • Roll into a smooth ball. Place on baking sheet. You can put the balls close together. Repeat with the remaining logs. Place the tray in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
    rolling the cut pieces into balls
  • When ready to bake, preheat oven 320º F. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will be pale in color and very fragile. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely before touching.
    cooked cookies on a baking sheet
  • Once the cookies are completely cooled, spoon a little Nutella on to the flat side of a cookie. Use another cookie to make a sandwich. Allow cookies to set a few minutes before serving.
    adding nutella and creating sandwiches with the cookies
  • Place on a platter and serve with your favorite beverage.
    placing the cookies on a platter

Notes

TIPS & TRICKS
– There are 2 secrets to making these cookies. One that the rolled cookies need to be completely cold; otherwise, when they are put into the oven, they will melt and not be beautiful little domes. Chill them at least 4 hours, but longer is ok too. The second trick is when baking the cookies, bake them just until they are pale and light brown on the bottom. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to completely cool before touching them. If you try to move them before they’re cool, they will collapse into a crumbly mess.
– The rolled cookies can also be placed in the freezer to be baked later. Once they are completely frozen, you can store them in a container or plastic bag. When ready to bake, place on sheet pan, pop them into the oven directly, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
– Cookies can be made a week in advance.
– I use a small plastic bag as a pastry bag to fill the cookies with Nutella.