Baci di Dama

Name: Baci di Dama
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 58 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Piemontese
Ingredients: 150 g toasted piedmont hazelnuts; 150 g Plain flour; 150 g caster sugar; 150 g Unsalted butter; 1 g Fine sea salt; 5 ml Vanilla extract; 100 g dark chocolate

Delicate Piedmontese hazelnut shortbread biscuits sandwiched together with rich dark chocolate, named after their resemblance to a lady's lips.

🇮🇹Italy· Piedmont

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 18 min
Total: 58 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 380 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 7 gathered

Servings

150 g toasted piedmont hazelnuts — skins removed, or ready-made hazelnut flour
150 g Plain flour — Tipo 00 or standard plain flour
150 g caster sugar — fine white sugar
150 g Unsalted butter — cold and cubed
1 g Fine sea salt — a small pinch
5 ml Vanilla extract — pure extract or scraped seeds
100 g dark chocolate — 60 to 70 percent cocoa solids, finely chopped

Equipment

•Food processor
•Baking trays
•Baking parchment
•Mixing bowl
•Heatproof bowl

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 380 kcal
fat: 24 g
carbs: 36 g
fibre: 3 g
protein: 5 g
calories: 380 kcal

Instructions

1
Pulse the toasted hazelnuts with one tablespoon of the caster sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
2
Combine the ground hazelnuts, plain flour, remaining caster sugar, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
3
Add the cold diced butter and vanilla extract to the dry mixture.
4
Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using cold fingertips until a cohesive, pliable dough forms.
5
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap tightly, and chill in the fridge for one hour.
6
Weigh out small portions of chilled dough, roughly seven grams each, for uniform baking.
7
Roll each dough portion gently between your palms into a smooth, compact ball.
8
Arrange the balls onto baking parchment-lined trays, leaving three centimetres of space between each.
9
Chill the shaped trays in the fridge for thirty minutes to prevent flattening in the oven.
10
Bake in an oven preheated to 160°C for fifteen to eighteen minutes until lightly golden beneath.
11
Leave the biscuit halves to cool completely on the trays without moving them.
12
Melt the dark chocolate gently, pipe a dot on each flat base, and join two halves together.

Chef's tips

Keeping the dough cold is crucial so the biscuit domes do not spread flat in the oven. Weighing each dough ball on a digital scale ensures your pairs match perfectly when sandwiching.

Ingredient substitutions

toasted Piedmont hazelnuts → blanched toasted almonds (common in early 19th-century variants)
dark chocolate → gianduja chocolate spread for a softer hazelnut-forward centre

Storage

Store the assembled biscuits in an airtight tin at cool room temperature for up to one week.

Reheating

Serve at room temperature and do not reheat as the chocolate centre will melt.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Skipping the second chilling step, which causes the round biscuits to melt into flat pools.
•Handling the biscuits while still warm from the oven, causing them to crumble easily.
•Overheating the dark chocolate, which turns the sandwich filling grainy and dull.

Serving suggestions

Serve alongside a hot espresso as pasticceria mignon.Pair with a chilled glass of sweet Moscato d'Asti or Passito di Caluso.Arrange on a tiered cake stand with other Piedmontese biscuits like paste di meliga.