Baci Di Dama (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies)

Baci di dama are bite-sized Italian hazelnut cookies with a crisp, shortbread-like crumb and a layer of chocolate joining each pair.

Chocolate-Filled Hazelnut Cookies from Piedmont

I first tasted baci di dama while visiting a friend in Piedmont, Italy, during Turin’s chocolate festival. Their name means “lady’s kisses”: two small hazelnut cookies joined with chocolate. The cookies are crisp and crumbly, with toasted nuts in every bite.

Toasted hazelnuts give the cookies their rich, nutty flavor, while a little lemon zest brightens the buttery dough. I use a food processor to grind the nuts and work in cold butter, so the dough comes together quickly without a separate chilling step.

Plan on about an hour of hands-on work and a little over two hours from start to finish, including baking, cooling, and letting the chocolate set. Most of the hands-on time goes into shaping and filling the little sandwiches. I find repetitive tasks in the kitchen like this oddly comforting, but it’s also a good time to call on another set of hands.

You’ll have four dozen finished sandwich cookies, enough to share and still keep a few for yourself. Like Italian pignoli, Egyptian ghorayebah, and Greek melomakarona, they fit just as comfortably beside a cup of coffee as they do on a holiday cookie tray.

My First Baci di Dama in Piedmont

My friend comes from a small mountain town in Piedmont and offered to take me on a tour of her hometown, the Italian Alps, and Turin. In a stroke of luck, our trip coincided with Cioccolatò, the city’s chocolate festival. Piazza San Carlo was filled with dozens of booths selling artisan chocolate.

Chocolate and hazelnuts were everywhere: blended into gianduja, a smooth chocolate-and-hazelnut confection, or sold as chocolate-covered nuts. Among them were baci di dama, little hazelnut cookies with just enough chocolate to join their rounded halves.

That first taste stayed with me. I’ve loved snacking on them ever since, whether standing in a piazza with a view of the Italian Alps or simply enjoying an afternoon coffee in my kitchen.

Baci di Dama Ingredients

Hazelnuts, powdered sugar, flour, butter, and chocolate do most of the work here. Vanilla, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt round out the flavor without hiding the toasted nuts.

• Hazelnuts: Start with whole hazelnuts and toast them before grinding. Roasting brings out their rich, buttery flavor and fills the kitchen with a nutty aroma. Don’t worry if a few bits of skin remain after rubbing them in a towel; I like the rustic, speckled appearance they give the cookies.
• Powdered sugar: I prefer powdered sugar for a tender, crumbly texture. It blends easily into the dough without the grittiness granulated sugar can sometimes leave. You’ll grind a small portion with the hazelnuts, then add the rest with the flour.
• All-purpose flour: With no eggs in the dough and a generous amount of ground nuts, these cookies need enough structure to hold together. Use all-purpose flour rather than pastry flour, which could leave them too crumbly.
• Kosher salt: A small amount brings out the hazelnut and chocolate flavors.
• Unsalted butter: Keep the butter cold and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Working it into the dry ingredients in the food processor lets you shape the dough without chilling it first. The mixer alternative uses room-temperature butter and a short chill instead.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth alongside the toasted hazelnuts. You can use the same amount of dark rum instead.
• Lemon zest: Just 1 teaspoon adds a little brightness. Orange zest also works, or you can leave out the zest if you prefer.
• Chocolate: Use chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate for the filling. See below for choosing a cacao percentage to suit your taste.

Which Chocolate Should You Use?

I like the balance of 60 to 70 percent cacao chocolate against the buttery hazelnut cookies. If you prefer a sweeter filling, choose semi-sweet chocolate in the 50 to 60 percent range.

For my taste, milk chocolate makes the filling too sweet, while chocolate above 70 percent cacao can overpower the hazelnuts. A thin layer is all you need: the chocolate should reach the edges when you gently press the two halves together.

How to Make Baci di Dama 

Shaping these cookies reminds me of rolling gnocchi, though the dough is less sticky and delicate. You’ll divide it into four logs, cut each log into 24 pieces, and roll the pieces into balls. That gives you 96 cookie halves to make 48 finished sandwiches.

Toast the Hazelnuts and Make the Dough

• Get ready. Arrange oven racks in the bottom and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut 1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch cubes and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the nuts.
• Toast the hazelnuts. Spread 1 cup (140 grams) hazelnuts on one of the prepared baking sheets. Roast for about 10 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Leave the oven on; you’ll bake the cookies at the same temperature.
• Rub off the skins. When the hazelnuts are still warm but cool enough to handle, transfer them to a clean, damp tea towel. Wrap them in the towel and rub vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to remove as much skin as possible. Transfer the nuts to a food processor and discard the loose skins. A little skin left on the nuts is fine.
• Grind the hazelnuts. Measure 3/4 cup (85 grams) powdered sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of that measured sugar to the food processor, reserving the rest. Process until the hazelnuts are finely ground, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Mix the dry ingredients. Add the remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Process until evenly distributed, about 1 minute. Pause to scrape the bottom corner of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed.
• Bring the dough together. Add the cold butter cubes, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or dark rum, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Pulse a few times to break up and distribute the butter, then process until the mixture begins to clump into a cohesive dough, about 30 seconds.

Shape and Bake the Cookies 

• Divide the dough. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface. If a few dry bits of flour remain, gently knead the dough a few times to bring them together. Divide into four equal pieces, about 4 ounces (115 grams) each.
• Roll into logs. Gently shape each piece into a log about 1 inch in diameter and 12 inches long. If a log starts to break apart, press it back together. The dough shouldn’t stick to the counter, but if it does, dust the surface lightly with flour.
• Cut and roll. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut each log into 24 pieces, each about 1/2 inch long. Roll each piece into a ball between your palms. Arrange the balls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, reusing the pan and parchment from roasting the hazelnuts. You should have 48 cookie halves on each pan.
• Bake. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pans from front to back and switch them between the upper and lower racks. Continue baking for about 6 minutes more, until the tops look dry and the edges are just starting to turn golden.
• Cool completely. Leave the cookies on their baking sheets until they reach room temperature, about 30 minutes, before filling them.

Fill, Press, and Enjoy! 

• Melt the chocolate. Place 4 ounces (113 grams) chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring with a rubber spatula after each interval, until melted and smooth.
• Make the sandwiches. Pair the cooled cookies by size and shape. Dollop about 1/2 teaspoon melted chocolate onto the flat bottom of one cookie, then gently press the flat bottom of its partner against the chocolate. The filling should spread to the edges. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
• Let the chocolate set and serve. Leave the filled cookies until the chocolate is firm, at least 15 minutes. Serve with coffee or espresso, or arrange on a platter to share.

Tips for Shaping and Filling Baci di Dama

A few details make these little sandwich cookies easier to shape, bake, and put together.

• No microwave? Use simmering water. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring constantly.
• Look for clumps before taking the dough out of the processor. After adding the butter, process until the mixture begins to come together rather than remaining loose and sandy. If a few dry bits remain when you turn it onto the counter, gently knead them into the dough. You only need a few turns to bring it together.
• Press a cracking log back together. The dough is crumbly but should hold its shape with gentle pressure. If it breaks as you roll, press the pieces together and continue shaping. Only dust the counter with flour if the dough sticks.
• Count halves, not sandwiches, as you shape. Each of the four logs makes 24 small dough balls, giving you 96 cookie halves and 48 finished sandwiches. Keep the pieces evenly sized, then pair the cooled cookies by size and shape before filling.
• Use the baking cues as well as the timer. Look for dry tops and edges that are just beginning to turn golden. Rotate the pans front to back and switch oven racks after the first 8 minutes so both trays bake evenly.
• Give cooling and setting their own time. Let the cookies reach room temperature on their pans before filling, then gently press the halves together. Once assembled, leave them until the chocolate is firm, at least 15 minutes, before serving or packing.

How Do You Remove Hazelnut Skins?

I don’t mind a little hazelnut skin, especially when the nuts are finely ground. The small flecks give the cookies a rustic appearance, so rubbing the warm, toasted nuts in a damp tea towel works well enough for me.

For a more uniform appearance, you can blanch the hazelnuts before roasting. Blanching means briefly boiling them to loosen their skins.

1. Blanch the nuts. Boil the hazelnuts in 2 cups of water mixed with 3 tablespoons of baking soda for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl of ice water.
2. Peel and dry. Drain the nuts and use a towel to slip or wipe away the skins. Dry them before roasting.
3. Toast. Spread the peeled nuts on a baking sheet and roast at 350°F until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes. Continue with grinding the nuts and making the dough.

You can also buy blanched hazelnuts, which already have their skins removed. They tend to cost more but save you the peeling step. You’ll still toast them to bring out their flavor.

Baci di Dama Variations

Hazelnut and chocolate have plenty of flavor on their own, but a little coffee, citrus, or spice gives you a few ways to change the cookies.

• Double chocolate: Replace 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, a cocoa treated to mellow its acidity.
• Coffee: Add 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder with the dry ingredients for a hint of coffee alongside the hazelnuts and chocolate.
• Citrus: Replace the lemon zest with the same amount of orange zest. Meyer lemon or blood orange zest also works, or you can leave the zest out.
• Dark rum: Replace the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon dark rum, or use up to 1 tablespoon for a more pronounced rum flavor.
• Baking spices: Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, a fragrant spice with citrusy, floral notes. Alternatively, use 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice or speculaas spice blend, a warm baking-spice mixture used in Dutch and Belgian spiced cookies.

How to Make Baci di Dama Without a Food Processor

You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer with 1 1/4 cups hazelnut flour or almond flour in place of the whole hazelnuts. These nut flours are finely ground nuts; you’ll still use the all-purpose flour as well.

For this method, use room-temperature butter instead of cold butter and allow an additional 20 minutes to chill the mixed dough before shaping.

1. Toast the nut flour. Spread the hazelnut or almond flour on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Mix the butter and sugar. Beat the room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla extract on low speed until smooth.
3. Add the flours. Add the cooled nut flour and all-purpose flour. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.
4. Chill, then shape. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Shape, bake, cool, and fill the cookies as directed above.

How to Serve Baci di Dama

I like keeping a batch of these hazelnut cookies for my afternoon coffee breaks throughout the week. Coffee, chocolate, and hazelnut are a combination I never tire of, and a few small cookies make that pause in the day feel special.

After dinner, serve them alongside espresso, black tea with fresh mint, or a small glass of limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur.

For a larger gathering, arrange them on a cookie platter with jam-filled pizzicati and crunchy pistachio and cardamom biscotti. The different fillings, shapes, and textures make a lovely assortment for sharing or packing into holiday cookie boxes.

Making Ahead and Storing Baci di Dama

Baci di dama keep well, so you can bake and assemble them ahead of a gathering or gift them once the chocolate has set.

• In the freezer: Layer the finished cookies between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
• At room temperature: Keep the filled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

More Cookies for Your Coffee Break

Italian

Pizzicati (Italian Pinch Cookies)

Italian

Italian Pignoli Cookies

Desserts

Biscotti with Pistachio and Cardamom

Desserts

Melt-in-Mouth Butter Cookies (Egyptian Ghorayebah)