Baci di Dama: Traditional Italian Hazelnut Cookies with Chocolate

Some Italian biscuits are so charming that their name alone is enough to make you smile. Baci di dama, which translates as “lady’s kisses”, are delicate hazelnut biscuits joined together with a layer of dark chocolate. Their rounded shape, with the chocolate filling connecting the two halves, is said to resemble a kiss.

These traditional Italian hazelnut cookies originated in Piedmont, a region in northwestern Italy where hazelnuts have long been an important local ingredient. They were readily available and relatively inexpensive, making them a natural choice for traditional baking.

Over time, baci di dama became popular throughout Italy. Today, you can find versions made with almonds as well as hazelnuts, but I prefer to stay faithful to the original recipe. The toasted hazelnut flavour pairs beautifully with dark chocolate, creating a biscuit that is rich and fragrant without being overly sweet.

This recipe takes a little more time and care than some everyday biscuits, especially because the dough needs to chill thoroughly before baking. However, the result is well worth the effort: elegant little cookies that are perfect with coffee, as part of an afternoon treat, or wrapped up as a homemade gift.

If you enjoy savoury bakes as much as sweet ones, you can also find my Savoury Baci di Dama on the blog. They are a delicious alternative for an Italian-style aperitivo.

Baci di Dama – Italian Hazelnut Biscuits with Dark Chocolate

Yield: About 20 assembled biscuits
Prep time: 30 minutes
Resting time: About 2 hours
Cooking time: 15–17 minutes per batch

Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour
• 150 g hazelnut flour
• 150 g icing sugar
• 150 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• A pinch of salt
• 150 g dark chocolate, for the filling

Method

1. Prepare the hazelnut flour, if making your own. If you cannot find hazelnut flour, use 150 g whole hazelnuts. Toast them gently in a dry frying pan, taking care not to burn them, then leave them to cool completely.
2. Place the cooled hazelnuts in a food processor with the icing sugar and pulse until finely ground. Work in short bursts, pausing between them: processing the nuts continuously for too long can release their oil and turn them into a paste. Chill the ground mixture in the refrigerator for a few minutes before continuing.
3. Put the hazelnut flour, icing sugar and cold butter into a food processor. Mix until combined, then add the salt and egg. Process until the ingredients begin to come together.
4. The dough will be quite sticky. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for about an hour, or longer if necessary, until it has firmed up enough to handle.
5. Shape the dough into small, evenly sized balls about 1.5 cm in diameter. Keep them as round as possible and do not flatten them when placing them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
6. Once the tray is full, place it in the freezer for at least one hour. This step helps the biscuits retain their rounded shape during baking.
7. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Bake the biscuits for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to approximately 110°C (230°F) and continue baking for another 10–12 minutes. They should be lightly golden, not dark brown.
8. Remove the tray from the oven and leave the biscuits to cool completely on it. Do not try to move them while they are hot: they are delicate and will become firm enough to handle only once fully cooled.
9. Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly if it is too runny; it should be thick enough to hold the two biscuits together without flowing out of the sides.
10. Spoon a little melted chocolate onto the flat side of one biscuit and gently sandwich it with another biscuit. Repeat until all the pairs are assembled. Leave the chocolate to set before serving or storing.

Notes

• Use hazelnuts for the traditional flavour. Although almond versions exist, hazelnuts give these Piedmontese biscuits their characteristic taste.
• Do not skip the chilling and freezing stages. The dough is soft, and thoroughly chilling the shaped balls helps them keep their shape in the oven.
• Handle the biscuits gently. They are fragile as soon as they come out of the oven, so let them cool completely on the baking tray before assembling them.
• Choose a good dark chocolate. Its slightly bitter flavour balances the sweetness of the biscuits and complements the toasted hazelnuts.
• Storage: Once the chocolate has set, keep the baci di dama in an airtight tin in a cool, dry place. They can keep for up to a month when stored properly.