Thread by @lifesafeast

Timeline cleanser...moment of zen.

I've never shared this recipe in book or blog, so you guys are the lucky ones 🥳 Today I'm sharing the recipe for a traditional Italian cookie perfect for the holidays

Baci di Dama (Ladies' Kisses)

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INGREDIENTS

10 tablespoons (150 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temp

½ cup (100 grams) sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 ounces (50 grams) finely ground almonds

2 ounces (50 grams) finely ground hazelnuts

1 ¼ cup (175 grams) flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

AND...

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Chocolate Ganache Filling (recipe follows)

Cream the softened butter together with the sugar until light & fluffy.

Beat in the egg yolk then both ground nuts.

Beat in the flour & vanilla until everything is well incorporated.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly

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floured surface and, working very quickly, knead the dough just until you have a smooth, homogenous ball of dough, flouring the work surface & your hands as needed. This dough contains a high quantity of butter so the more it is worked (with warm hands) the softer and

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stickier it becomes.

Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap & place in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours or overnight.

When the dough has been chilled & you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).

Remove the chilled, firm dough from

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the refrigerator and from the plastic & place on a lightly floured work surface.

Cut into 4 pieces (which are easier to work with) and, working one piece at a time & as quickly as possible to keep the buttery dough from softening too much, press & roll out the dough

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into a long ¾-inch (2 cm) thick snake, ends squared.

Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, slice the long log or snake into even ½-inch (1 cm) wide pieces or slightly larger. Again working very quickly, roll each piece into a ball, pressing together if the dough splits,

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and place on a cookie sheet, leaving a little space between each ball for rising.

Bake the trays of balls in the preheated oven for no longer than 20 minutes or until cooked through & slightly golden.

Remove from the oven & allow to cool completely before making the

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ganache filling & sandwiching the cookie domes together with the ganache.

Make the Chocolate Ganache Filling (recipe follows).

Fill a pastry bag with a tip (about ¼ to ½ -inch wide hole).

Pair up matching (in size) cookie halves then pipe a dot of ganache on the

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bottom halves of all the pairs. Gently press the other cookie half onto the ganache. Place all the Baci di Dama on a tray or rack to allow the ganache to firm up.

These cookies get even better when stored in a metal tin overnight as the cookie goes from crumbly to

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perfectly tender.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING

¾ cup (100 g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (see note)
½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream

note: I prefer Lindt dessert 70% or Lindt Excellence 70%. For a more festive cookie, use one of the Lindt Excellence dark chocolates

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infused with either orange, grilled almonds, or mint which give them a truly holiday flavor.

Place the chocolate in a medium-sized heatproof pyrex bowl.

Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour it over the chopped chocolate & allow to sit, stirring, until the chocolate is

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completely melted and the ganache is perfectly smooth.

Allow the ganache to sit at room temperature until it reaches the desired consistency: to sandwich the Baci di Dama, the ganache needs to be quite thick & firm so it pipes out without running & you can sandwich the

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two domes of cookie halves together without making a runny mess. Or store the cookie pieces in a tin while the ganache chills overnight in the fridge, simply taking the ganache out of the cold a bit before piping & sandwiching the two halves of the cookies together.

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Both the Baci di Dama and the biscotti are great holiday cookies to serve & to share.

Speaking of sharing: make sure you share a photo of your baci di dama with me. And share the recipe with your Twitter followers, letting them know to follow me for more excellent recipes.