Baci di Dama
The cookies I'd give trick-or-treaters if it were up to me
Boo! Happy Halloween, Recipe of the Month friends!
Before the ghouls and goblins come out tonight, I’d like to share a treat of a recipe with you.
My family and I have just returned from two weeks in Italy. We travel there every year so that I can teach a recipe-writing course at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Our trip is not without mishaps (lost luggage, delayed flights, missed connections—check, check, and check!) plus the usual chaos of toddlers, but mostly I feel grateful for the opportunity to spend time in one of my favorite places in the world. I feel so at home in Italy—like I must have been a pasta-rolling nonna in a past life. The routines and traditions of a macchiato in the morning, a glass of wine with lunch, a spritz and snacks for aperitivo before dinner. I love hearing the church bells ringing. I even have a bizarre love for the scent of diesel fuel and cigarette smoke mingling on the streets.
If this year’s trip had an emblematic food, it would be the little round hazelnut cookies called baci di dama (aka “lady’s kisses”). My youngest son, Lewis, discovered that if he blew kisses to the people working behind the counter at a bakery, they would bestow him with treats. Long, skinny breadsticks called grissini; puffy balls of fried dough dusted with sugar; and, what came to be his favorite snack—baci di dama.
The cookies hail from Piemonte, the region of Italy where I teach my class. Stands of birch trees line country roads. Morning fog settles heavily among the rolling hills. In the autumn, when we were there, persimmons hang from leafless branches like Christmas baubles. The landscape is mesmerizing to me and the food is enchanting. I am already dreaming about next year’s trip.
One very exciting thing that happened while I was away was the publication of a cookbook I co-authored with Pamela Anderson! I Love You: Recipes from the Heart is a gorgeous collection of vegetable-focused recipes cultivated from travel, wonder, genuine interest, and zest for life. I’m so proud of this soulful book we made together.
Last thing! (There’s so much to catch up on with you!) I had the honor and pleasure of adapting Nicola Lamb’s cookbook, Sift, for American readers. It’s a veritable baking bible and will be released on November 12th. I can hardly wait to hear Nicola speak about her book at Omnivore in San Francisco on November 14th at 6:30pm. Hope to see you there!
Baci di Dama
Two buttery, toasty, melt-in-your-mouth hazelnut cookies sealed together with a kiss of dark chocolate … perfetto! Lewis sampled a lot of different baci di dama in Italy—some filled with milk chocolate, others with dark chocolate, even one package with cocoa powder in the cookies themselves. We decided to make our version a bit smaller than traditional, and now they are the ideal size for baby hands (or for grown-ups to enjoy more than just one).
Makes about 50 sandwich cookies
1 cup (140 g) whole, raw hazelnuts
½ cup (65 g) all purpose flour
⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (90 g) bittersweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spread the hazelnuts on an unlined rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast until the buttery, earthy smell of toasted nuts spreads throughout the kitchen, 10 to 12 minutes. The hazelnuts should be deep golden brown, and this strongly toasted flavor only makes these cookies yummier. Lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and carefully transfer the warm nuts onto it. Fold one side of the towel over the nuts, like a taco, and use your hands to move the hazelnuts between the two sides of the towel. The friction of the cloth will help loosen most of the papery skins. (Don’t worry too much about getting rid of every last scrap of skin—it’s fine.) Let cool for about 10 minutes before using—you don’t want to make hazelnut butter!
Keep the oven on. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Transfer the hazelnuts to a food processor and pulse until finely ground and the consistency of polenta, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to the food processor and pulse until just combined. Add the cold butter and vanilla to the food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together and forms a dough, 15 to 20 seconds. The dough should feel firm and moldable.
Transfer the dough to a clean countertop and divide it into four equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, press and roll it into a log that measures ½ inch (12 mm) wide and 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) long. Transfer the log to a flat plate or quarter sheet pan, and repeat with the remaining three pieces of dough. Place the plate in the freezer to chill the dough for 15 minutes.
Using a small knife, cut each log of dough into ½ inch (12 mm) pieces. Roll each small chunk of dough into a round ball. Space the balls evenly among the two prepared baking sheets, as they will spread just a little while baking. Bake the cookies until golden brown and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes, making sure to rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back about halfway through.
While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate in the microwave: Place the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 10 to 15-second bursts, stirring between each one, for about 1 minute total or until the chocolate is completely melted.
When the cookies are completely cool, it is time to assemble! Line up the cookies in rows on one of the lined sheets, making sure each cookie has a match. To make assembling easier, I like to flip over one cookie in every pair so that it’s super clear which cookies go together.
Use a ¼ teaspoon to carefully dollop a chocolate chip-size amount of melted chocolate onto the exposed flat bottom of each pair. Gently press the flat side of the other cookie onto the chocolate, flat sides of each cookie kissing. I like to top about 10 cookies with chocolate at a time, and then go back and sandwich them together. You may have a bit of melted chocolate leftover … lucky you!
Baci di dama will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.