What is Baci di dama?
Baci di dama is an Italian traditional pastry, easily recognizable for its sandwich cookie appearance. “Baci di Dama” means “Lady’s kisses” in English. This cookie consists of two hazelnut shells joined together by a veil of chocolate, recalling an image of two lips on the verge of kissing.
Other interpretations suggest that the name derives from the fact that its shape resembles the lips of a young girl intent on giving a kiss: hence “lady’s kiss”.
No matter what interpretation you prefer, inside every Baci di dama Grondona, there is a lot of love.
When to eat Baci di Dama? These lovely cookies are perfect as tea cakes and enhance, at any time of day, a cup of coffee or a fast and sweet snack. In Italy, most people enjoy having their Baci di dama with coffee.
Baci di dama story:
Baci di dama originates from the town of Tortona in the Northern Italian region of Piedmont. They were created in the 19th Century as a way to utilize hazelnuts that are local to the Piedmont region.
According to a legend, Baci di dama (lady’s kisses) was born from the fantasy of a cook of the Savoy family in the autumn of 1852, after Vittorio Emanuele II asked him to develop a new sweet.
This is why the fondant chocolate that unites the two halves in a marriage of taste, is claimed to be of royal origin.
The new product was approval and since that day it was served on the royal tables of Italy and the rest of Europe.
Baci di dama ingredients:
Piemontese Hazelnuts and the purest fondant chocolate are the main natural ingredients. The “Tonda Gentile” almonds produce a rich dough that is baked into two fragrant shells of fine pastry. Sugar, butter, wheat, flour, honey and salt seal the cookies’ lips.
Baci di dama recipe:
Ingredients:
Butter 300 g
Sugar 300 g
Macinated hazelnuts 300 g
Flour 00 300 g
Fine salt 3 g
Tempered dark chocolate 375 g
To prepare the Baci di dama, start with the shortcrust pastry.
In the bowl of a planetary mixer fitted with the leaf, pour the soft but still plastic butter into cubes and the sugar. Let turn for a few seconds at low speed until the mixture is well blended.
Add the macinated hazelnuts and run the planetary mixer again. Pour the water into a bowl, add the salt to dissolve them.
Pour everything into the dough. As soon as the fat mass is well amalgamated, turn off the machine and add the already sifted flour.
Always mix at low speed, eventually cleaning up the edges of the planetary mixer with a spatula after a few seconds. As soon as the flour has been absorbed, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
Add a light layer of flour on top and compact it without kneading. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
When the dough is well-stabilized, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. With the help of two rulers, roll out the dough with a rolling pin until an even thickness of 1 cm is obtained.
Trim the first edge, then cut strips lengthwise of 2 cm thickness using a ruler and knife. Make the lattice by making 2 cm wide strips in the other direction, so as to obtain cubes that will weigh about 4-5 g each.
Round them off in the palm of your hand and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them out. Bake in a static oven preheated to 180 degrees for 12 minutes.
As soon as the cookies are golden brown, take them out of the oven and let them cool down. Now temper the chocolate and transfer it inside a baking paper cone.
Turn half of the half spheres upside down, squeeze a little chocolate in the center and place another half-sphere on top, pressing lightly to unite them.
Repeat this process for all the cookies and let them solidify before enjoying them. If it gets too hot, place the Baci di dama in the refrigerator.
Enjoy the original Baci di dama!
