Baci di Dama (Lady's Kisses)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling time)
Servings: 10 (makes around 20 sandwich cookies)
Origin
Region: Piedmont (Tortona)
Historical Context: Created in the mid-19th century in Tortona. The name Baci di Dama translates to "Lady's Kisses," because the two round hazelnut halves sandwiching a bead of chocolate resemble two lips meeting in a kiss.
Description
Exquisite, tiny sandwich cookies made from a rich, crumbly shortbread dough of finely ground toasted hazelnuts and butter, held together by a single glossy drop of rich dark chocolate ganache.
Presentation
Served as elegant pasticceria secca (dry pastries) alongside afternoon tea, espresso, or sweet digestifs on small tiered silver trays.
Ingredients
150g toasted hazelnuts (skins removed)
150g all-purpose flour
150g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
100g granulated sugar
A tiny pinch of sea salt
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped fine (for the filling)
Step-by-Step Directions
Grind Nuts: Process the toasted, skinless hazelnuts and the sugar together in a food processor until they form a fine, flour-like powder.
Make Dough: In a bowl, combine the hazelnut-sugar mixture, flour, salt, and softened butter. Knead with your fingertips until a smooth, pliable cookie dough forms. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
Shape Spheres: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pinch off tiny pieces of the cold dough and roll them between your palms into perfect, uniform balls about the size of a large marble (roughly 8 grams each).
Freeze Spheres: Arrange the dough balls widely spaced onto the sheet. Place the entire baking sheet into the freezer for 15 minutes before baking—this keeps them from flattening out in the oven.
Bake: Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 12–15 minutes until the bases are lightly golden but the top domes remain pale-cream. Let cool completely on a rack.
Assemble Kisses: Melt the dark chocolate in a small bowl. Let it cool slightly until it thickens to a pipeable paste. Spoon a drop of chocolate onto the flat bottom of one cookie, then press a second cookie against it gently to form a sandwich sphere.
Optional Variations
Baci di Alassio: A coastal Ligurian variation that incorporates cocoa powder and egg whites directly into the cookie dough, yielding a softer, chewier chocolate-hazelnut shell.
Cooking Tips
Freezing the shaped dough spheres right before they enter the hot oven is critical. If the butter inside the hazelnut dough is warm when it hits the heat, the spheres will melt flat, losing their iconic round "lip" shape.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 210 kcal
Carbohydrates: 18g
Protein: 3g
Fat: 14g
Sodium: 30mg
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