These fantastic looking Baci di Dama cookies consist of two hemispheres of buttery hazelnut cookies sandwiched with a rich gianduja filling - think Rochers and Nutella. The recipe for this Italian cookie is as easy to remember as your name. It is equal parts, by weight, of four ingredients for the cookie. Forming the cookies is just as easy.
Baci di Dama translates to "a Laidies Kiss" because they are thought to resemble a ladies lips. Whatever you call these, they are wonderful.
Be sure to check out my blog Helpful Cookie Baking Tips for the Holiday to make your holiday baking a bit easier.
A few other tempting Italian cookies include the Apricot Pistachio Biscotti, Chocolate Spiced Olive Oil Biscotti, Italian Neapolitan Cookies, and the ever popular Cuccidati.
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Nut Flours
These Baci di Dama call for Hazelnut or Almond flour. Hazelnut flour is available on the internet and I prefer that to homemade. Make sure it states fine so you know it will be powdery fine. The processor cannot powder the nuts as finely as the bought flour but if you want to make your own it's easy.
I used Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Flour, finely ground. Almond flour may be substituted.
How to Make Nut Flours
The processor cannot powder the nuts as finely as the bought flour but if you want to make your own it's easy. Try to buy skinned hazelnuts but if that isn't possible, here is an easy way to skin them.
Skinning the Nuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F and spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes until they are fragrant and the nuts are golden brown. Place them in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment immediately, and turn the mixer on low to medium low. Let me go around until the majority of the skins are off. No matter what method you use some will stubbornly cling to the nut. That's fine. Cool the nuts before proceeding.
Making the Nut Flour
To make the hazelnut flour, place the nuts along with the flour in the bowl of the processor and process to grind them. Stir and process again to get them as fine as possible. The flour is used to prevent the nuts from becoming a paste. Continue as in the directions below.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It only uses a few ingredients
- The cookie are easy to shape
- They are easier to eat
- The balls can be shaped and frozen to be baked and filled later
- Make these a few days before serving for the flavors to meld.
- They hold well in an airtight tin.
- The cookies hold up well when shipped.
Recipe Ingredients
Baci di Dama Cookies
FRONT ROW: Unsalted butter
BACK ROW: Hazelnut flour, powdered sugar, cake flour
Gianduja Filling
FRONT ROW: Hazelnut Flour, milk
BACK ROW: Semisweet chocolate, powdered sugar and milk chocolate
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Baci di Dama Cookies
Step 1. Place the hazelnut flour and cake flour in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse to mix. Step 2. Add the powdered sugar and softened butter. Step 3. Process until the mixture clumps together. Step 4.Pour the mixture onto a work surface.
Step 5. Knead the dough together into a smooth log. Divide into 4 pieces, each about 114 grams. Step 6. Keep one piece out and cover the rest with plastic wrap. Step 7. Roll the piece of dough into an 18"rope. Step 8. Cut the dough into 18 1"pieces.
Step9. The rope of dough will probably crack when rolling it out. Simply push it back together and continue with a light hand. This happens and is annoying but it is easy to fix. Step 10. Take a 1" piece of dough and squeeze it together with your fingers. Roll it between the palms of your hands to make balls. Step 11. Cover the pan with parchment and place the balls 5 across and 7 down, evenly spaced on the pan. Step 12. The unbaked ball is on the left and the baked Baci di Dama cookie is on the right.
Gianduja Filling
Step 13. Combine the semisweet and milk chocolates with the milk in a microwave bowl. Step 14. Heat on half power until the chocolates are partially melted. Stir to melt completely. Heat again if necessary to get the chocolate completely melted. Add the powdered sugar and hazelnut flour. Step 16. Stir together to make a pipeable mixture that does not run. If it is too thin, add more hazelnut flour, if too thick add a bit more milk a little at a time.
Assembly
Step 17. Pair the cookies, turning the bottoms up. Step 18. Pipe about ½ teaspoon of filling on the middle of the bottoms of the cookies. Step 19. Place the tops on and gently press down to distribute the filling to the edges of the cookies. Step 20. Place on a tray until the filling is set. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQ'S
Gianduja refers to an Italian combination of hazelnuts and chocolate, usually milk chocolate. It is used as a filling or it can be a component in a cake.
There are several. Europeans rarely use a leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda. When they do it is often Ammonium Carbonate or Baker's Ammonia which adds a crispness to the cookies. Egg yolks are often used instead of the whole eggs and European cookies use fewer ingredients in the main than do American cookies and they rarely use salt. Both are delicious.
Butter. They also often use powdered or confectioner's sugar rather than granulated or brown sugar.
Expert Tips
- It is best to use purchased fine Hazelnut Flour for these cookies.
- Unsalted butter is a must here. European butter is a plus, American unsalted butter is also fine.
- Make sure the butter is room temperature or it will be difficult to combine the ingredients in the processor.
- The cookies should not brown except on the edges.
- They should be firm when finished baking.
- Leftover filling can be loosed with a bit more milk and makes an excellent topping for pound cake or ice cream.
Other European Cookies to Enjoy
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Baci di Dama
Ingredients
Baci di Dama Cookies
- 1 cup +3 tablespoons hazelnut* or almond flour (114 grams)
- 1 cup less 1 ½ taglespoons cake flour (114 grams)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- ⅞ cup powdered sugar (114 grams or 1 cup less 2 tablespoons)
- *I used Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Flour, finely ground. Almond flour may also be used.
Gianduja Filling
- 1 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate (45 grams)
- 1 ½ ounces milk chocolate (45 grams)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (35 grams)
- ¼ cup hazelnut flour (18 grams)
Instructions
Baci Di Dama Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the hazelnut and cake flours in the food processor bowl. Process several seconds to mix well. Add the butter in pieces and powdered sugar. Process until it clumps up or forms a dough.
- Remove it from the processor and knead it several times times.
- Divide it into 4 pieces, each one about 114 grams. Keep the other pieces covered with plastic wrap. Roll one piece into a a 12" rope. It will be 18" long. Cut it into 1" pieces and roll each into a ball. The balls will be about the size of a malted milk ball. Place the balls 1" apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dough.
- Bake for 19 to 22 minutes until firm and barely colored. Cool on racks.
Gianduja Filling
- Combine the chocolates and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at ½ power until the chocolate is just melted. Add the powdered sugar and hazelnut or almond flour, stirring to make a spreadable filling. If too thick, loosen with a little milk. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Assembly
- Pair the cookies by size.
- The easiest way to fill the cookies is with a piping bag fitted with a ¼" plain tip. Pipe about ½ teaspoon filling on the bottom cookies. Place the top on and press down lightly to distribute the filling evenly to the edge of the cookies.
- Yield: 36 Baci di Dama. These cookies are great keepers. They will last for weeks in a closed tin.
Nutrition
Victoria Lane says
Love having this recipe. I used to eat these delicious biscotti when I lived in Florence!!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Victoria, Be sure to use the hazelnuts. These are little bits of Italy!