Baci di Dama

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor
• •Rimmed baking sheets
• •Parchment paper
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Kitchen scale

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the hazelnuts

   Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until fragrant and the skins begin to crack. The nuts should be golden beneath their papery skins. Watch them carefully in the final minutes. There is a narrow window between perfectly toasted and burnt, and burnt hazelnuts cannot be saved.

   The aroma will tell you when they are ready. When you can smell them from across the kitchen, check immediately.
2. 2

   Remove the skins

   While the hazelnuts are still hot, bundle them in a clean kitchen towel. Rub vigorously for 30 seconds to one minute. The friction loosens the bitter skins. Open the towel, pick out the nuts, and leave the skins behind. Do not worry if some skin remains. Perfection is unnecessary. Bitterness is the enemy, not a few stubborn flakes.

3. 3

   Grind the hazelnuts

   Let the skinned hazelnuts cool completely. Patience. Grinding warm nuts releases oil and creates paste when you need powder. Once cool, place them in a food processor with two tablespoons of the sugar. Pulse in short bursts until you have a fine powder, scraping down the sides as needed. The sugar absorbs oil and prevents the mixture from becoming butter. Stop before you create nut butter. The texture should be sandy, not clumpy.

   If the mixture starts to clump and look oily, you have gone too far. There is no remedy except to start again with fresh nuts.
4. 4

   Make the dough

   In a large bowl, whisk together the ground hazelnut mixture, flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes. Work the mixture with your fingertips, pressing and rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the dough begins to clump together. It will seem dry at first. Keep working. The butter's moisture and fat will eventually bind everything. Press the dough together into a disk. Do not knead. Overworking develops gluten and toughens the cookies.

5. 5

   Rest the dough

   Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The butter must firm up or the cookies will spread too thin in the oven. The dough can rest overnight if you prefer to bake the following day.

6. 6

   Shape the cookies

   Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pinch off small pieces of dough, about 7 grams each, roughly the size of a hazelnut. Roll each piece between your palms into a smooth ball. Place them one inch apart on the prepared sheets. You need an even number. Each cookie requires a partner. Work efficiently. If the dough becomes too soft and sticky, return it to the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

   Uniformity matters. Cookies of different sizes will not kiss properly. The larger one will overpower the smaller. Use a kitchen scale if your eye is uncertain.
7. 7

   Bake until golden

   Bake in a 325°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. The cookies are done when the bottoms are golden brown and the tops remain pale with just a hint of color at the edges. They will feel soft when hot. This is correct. They crisp as they cool. Remove from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. 8

   Melt the chocolate

   Chop the chocolate finely and place it in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. The bottom of the bowl must not touch the water. Stir gently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Alternatively, melt in 20-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, though I do not recommend the microwave for anything.

9. 9

   Assemble the baci

   Match cookies by size. Turn half of them flat-side up. Place a small amount of melted chocolate on the flat side, about half a teaspoon. Press another cookie, flat-side down, gently onto the chocolate. The cookies should just touch, like lips meeting. Do not press hard or they will crack. These are delicate things. Let the assembled cookies rest until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes at room temperature or 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out Piedmont hazelnuts (Nocciola Piemonte IGP) if you can find them. They are smaller and more intensely flavored than Turkish or Oregon hazelnuts. The difference is noticeable.
• •The dough contains no eggs and no leavening. It relies entirely on the butter for tenderness and the hazelnuts for flavor. Inferior butter or stale nuts will betray you.
• •Do not substitute milk chocolate or white chocolate. The bittersweet chocolate provides necessary contrast to the sweet, rich cookie. This is not a suggestion.
• •Store assembled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, though they are best within the first three days. Do not refrigerate after filling, or the chocolate will bloom.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for one month. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before shaping.
• •Baked but unfilled cookie halves keep in an airtight container for up to five days. Fill them the day you plan to serve.
• •Assembled baci di dama keep for one week in an airtight container at room temperature. Layer them between parchment to prevent sticking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 23g)