Baci di Dama
Baci di dama are biscuits originating from Piedmont in the city of Tortona where they were born a century ago, so called because they consist of two caps of dough joined by chocolate that recall two lips intent on kissing.
Baci di dama originated in Tortona in the nineteenth century and were originally produced with Piedmontese hazelnuts, easier to find and less expensive than almonds.
It will in fact be Cavalier Stefano Vercesi at the end of 1810 to modify the recipe by replacing the hazelnuts with almonds and by patenting the “golden kisses”. Presented at the Milan international fair in 1906, they won the gold medal, the highest award for pastry of the time.
Currently you can find several variations of this recipe:
The best known is undoubtedly that of Alassio, called baci di Alassio, in which cocoa and honey are added to the biscuits.
Other variants of Baci di Dama are the Umbertini from Turin, filled with chocolate, and the Basin di Madama Racchia, whose garnish is an apple and raspberry jam.
Here I propose two variants, one with hazelnuts and almonds and another with hazelnuts only, one is faster and the other requires a long rest time but it will still be worth it.
Baci di dama
Ingredients
- 300 gr hazelnuts
- 300 gr sugar
- 300 gr flour
- 250 gr butter
- 30/40 gr bitter cocoa
- 15 gr vanillin
- dark chocolate
Instructions
- Blend the hazelnuts and sugar separately.
- Combine all the ingredients to create a homogeneous mixture.
- Rest 15 minutes, isolated with the film.
- Create balls, bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 170 ° C for 10 minutes.
- Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie and use it to combine the two balls creating the baci di dama.
Baci di dama
Ingredients
- 220 gr flour
- 185 gr butter
- 200 gr hazelnut flour (alternatively 100 gr of hazelnuts and 100 gr of almonds)
- 200 gr sugar
- 2 gr salt
- dark chocolate
Instructions
- Work the flour and butter in a planetary mixer.
- Combine the hazelnut flour, sugar and salt and work until a homogeneous mixture is created.
- Leave the dough to rest for one night in the fridge insulated with film.
- Roll out to 6 millimeters, with a small round pastry cutter, create circles and then the balls.
- Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and leave them to rest for another hour in the fridge.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 160 ° C in an open chamber (or by placing a ball of aluminum foil between the closure of the oven in such a way as to leave an opening).
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and use it to combine the two balls to create the baci di dama.