Hazelnut and chocolate baci di dama

Name: Hazelnut and chocolate baci di dama
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 60 filled biscuits
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ¾ cup hazelnuts; 1 cup icing sugar; 125g butter, softened; Zest of 1 lemon; 1 cup plain flour; 120g dark chocolate (between 58 per cent to 70 per cent cocoa)

Caroline Velik

February 14, 2012

Time:1-2 hoursMakes:60 filled biscuits

Baci di dama means ladies' kisses. They are like little mouthfuls of heaven. These delicate little hazelnut and lemon-flavoured biscuits are sandwiched together with dark chocolate. I prefer to use a bitter dark chocolate with 70 per cent cocoa content but any good-quality chocolate will do.

Ingredients

¾ cup hazelnuts
1 cup icing sugar
125g butter, softened
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup plain flour
120g dark chocolate (between 58 per cent to 70 per cent cocoa)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Place hazelnuts on an oven tray and heat in oven for five minutes. Remove and place hazelnuts in a tea towel. Rub vigorously to remove skins. Allow to cool.
Process hazelnuts with icing sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and lemon zest and process until creamy. Remove from processor and gently incorporate flour until just combined (do not overmix). Use a teaspoon to scoop up a small amount of mix and roll into a ball. Place on lined oven trays, well spaced to allow for spreading. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden, then cool on trays on a wire rack.
Melt chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of just-boiled water from the kettle or in a microwave on medium power for one minute. Stir until smooth and glossy. Spread a small amount of chocolate on one side of the cooled biscuit, then sandwich with another biscuit. Repeat with the remainder.

The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.