Baci Di Dama Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 7 tablespoons butter with sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and zest, then both flours and salt; beat until a dough starts to form. Transfer to a work surface; knead until a firm dough forms, 1 minute.
• Scoop 1 level teaspoon of dough; roll into a ball. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing balls 1 inch apart. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt chocolate and remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Let cool until thick and spreadable, 20 minutes.
• Bake cookies until domed and light golden, about 16 minutes. Let cool completely, about 45 minutes. Spread 1/2 teaspoon chocolate mixture on flat side of one cookie; sandwich with flat side of a second. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let chocolate set before serving. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, confectioners' sugar, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and salt until completely combined. Add the cold butter all at once, and continue to pulse until it comes together.
• Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten to about 1 inch, then wrap well and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of dough and roll into small balls, then transfer to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through, until dry to the touch, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool undisturbed (the cookies are fragile) on the cookie sheets on a rack.
• Once cool, spread the chocolate hazelnut spread on the bottoms of the cookies and sandwich them together. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Blitz the hazelnuts to fine crumbs, but be careful not to over-blitz - you don't want them to become oily. Add the butter and sugar, and blitz again until really creamy, then tip the mixture into a bowl and sift in the flour. Mix with your hands, then chill in the fridge for an hour or until firm enough to roll.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Tear off teaspoon-sized chunks of mixture and roll into balls, then place on the lined sheet around 2 cm apart. Bake for 15 mins until golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the filling, heat the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, stirring every 10 secs until fully melted. Spread a small spoonful of chocolate on half the cooled biscuits. Leave to set for 15 mins then sandwich the remaining biscuits on top. Leave the baci di dama to set completely (put them in the fridge if the kitchen is warm). Serve with coffee.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Make cookies: Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until egg whites form stiff peaks. Add the sugar slowly; continue beating until egg whites are very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in cocoa until combined. Stir in almonds; mix until completely blended. Batter should be quite thick and sticky.
• Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe teaspoon-size, peaked mounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart.
• Bake until slightly cracked, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets several minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Make filling: In a small bowl, combine shortening and melted chocolate. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of chocolate onto flat side of a cookie; place another cookie on top. Press together gently so chocolate oozes out slightly. Return cookie to a wire rack to set; repeat with remaining cookies. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.