Hazelnut lady’s kisses ‘baci di dama’
Italian 20 Mins Prep · 15 Mins Cook
- 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.
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