Hazelnut lady’s kisses ‘baci di dama’

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease two baking sheets with butter.

Grind the hazelnuts to a very fine powder in a nut grinder or food processor fitted with the steel blade. (If using a food processor, add 2 tablespoons of the sugar so that the nuts don’t become too oily.) Mix the hazelnuts and the remaining sugar in a mixer bowl, or in the food processor. Add the butter, vanilla extract and salt and process until very light and creamy, approx. 4-5 minutes. Sift the four over the top and fold in.

Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Break off pieces of the dough, the size of fat cherries, and roll them into balls. Place 4cm apart on the baking sheets and flatten slightly to approx. 1cm thick.

Bake the cookies until light golden brown, approx. 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of over simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt completely. Set aside to cool slightly.

Pour the slightly cooled chocolate into a piping bag.

When the cookies are cool, pipe the chocolate onto the flat side of one of the cookies and sandwich with another. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Store in an airtight container for 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.