Baci di Dama, small little bites of joy. I love them in this hazelnut version, they melt in the mouth and are absolutely delicious. They make a wonderful present and an incredible treat! Give them a go, they are not diffult to make, although it does take time to roll them into tiny balls. I love the dark chocolate filling, but you can use milk or white chocolate too.
Baci di Dama, Ingredients for 100 small half biscuits
- 150 gr hazelnuts
- 150 gr icing sugar
- 150 gr butter
- 150/200 gr plain flour
- 150 gr dark chocolate
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
put the whole hazelnuts (obviously peeled!) and the powder sugar in a food processor and reduce to a fine greasy flour.
Add the butter at room temperature cut into small pieces, the vanilla and the flour, process for a couple of minutes, bo not over mix them, you do not want to extract the oil from the hazelnuts.
Remove from the food processor amd place on a clean hard surface. Work by hand for a minute or so, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
Use your dough to form lots of small balls, place them on trays covered in parchment paper and bake them at 150C/302F for 15 to 20 min. Allow to cool completely.
Melt your chocolate in a bain-marie, which means, place the chocolate in a bowl over (but without touching it) simmering water, when it is melted, remove it from the simmering water and let it to cool down slightly and thicken a little bit, then spoon some on a biscuit and place another biscuits on top of it, just like a sandwich.
Allow your Baci di Dama to cool completely down before serving.