Baci di Dama are authentic Italian Hazelnut Cookies sandwiched between melted chocolate. These cookies, meaning “lady’s kisses” are an Italian classic and are perfect for the holidays or whenever you’re craving a sweet treat!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW: My family loooooooves hazelnut anything. I made these cookies with the kids last night and we all loved them! Definitely making again for Christmas.
Baci di Dama are the original sandwich cookies and are the perfect cookie for any occasion. Made with just a few ingredients, these cookies are as fun to make as they are to eat!
If you love authentic Italian cookies, don’t miss these Soft Amaretti Cookies, Italian Pizzelle Cookies, Italian Lemon Drop Cookies, or my Sicilian Almond Cookies. And, if you love that chocolate hazelnut flavor, you’ve got to try Nutella Sandwich Cookies or Nutella Crepes.
Authentic Baci di Dama!
Baci di Dama are cute little Italian hazelnut cookies sandwiched between chocolate. They are simple to make and sure to be one of your new favorite Christmas cookies.
This cookie originated in the Italian region of Piedmont. Their name meaning “ladies kisses,” describes the two hazelnut cookies joined together by chocolate, representing the kiss in the name.
You’ll love that this recipe is simple to put together. Plus, it can be made ahead of time. The cookie dough is made almost entirely in the food processor.
These delicious Italian cookies are a fun and festive treat to have on hand for any occasion. They are super popular during the holidays and are cute little cookies to have for cookie exchanges.
You’ll love the flavor and melt-in-your mouth texture of these cookies too. They are reminiscent of the classic chocolate hazelnut spread, Nutella.
So, if you are looking for a classic and delicious Italian cookie, give Baci di Dama cookies a try. You’re going to love them!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Hazelnuts: you will need one cup of roasted unsalted hazelnuts for this recipe. You can substitute hazelnut meal. You could use hazelnut flour, but the texture will not be the same.
- Flour: to make the cookies fluffy, you will also need a cup of all purpose flour.
- Sugar: use regular granulated sugar for the simple hazelnut cookies.
- Baking Powder: be sure you are using baking powder and not baking soda.
- Butter: you will need a stick of cold butter that is cut into cubes. Salted or unsalted butter work here.
- Chocolate Chips: for the filling, you will need melted chocolate. You can use regular chocolate chips or rich dark chocolate. You could also use Nutella spread here but know that it will not harden like regular chocolate.
How to Make Baci di Dama
The classic Italian Baci di Dama cookies are simple to make and are perfect for the holidays or any occasion. The cookie dough will need about an hour to chill before using, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Step 1: grind the hazelnuts
In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the whole roasted hazelnuts, all purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pulse the mixture until the hazelnuts are finely ground. The mixture should resemble coarse sand.
To the food processor, add in the cold cubed butter. Pulse until the mixture comes together and a dough forms.
Step 2: chill the dough
Pour the dough out on to a piece of plastic wrap. Use your hands to shape the dough into a disk or log shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Step 3: roll into balls and bake
When ready to bake, preheat your oven and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; set aside. Use your hands to remove small chunks of dough (about 14-15 grams each) and roll into small balls.
Place the balls of dough on the lined baking tray. Continue with remaining dough. You want all of the balls to be similar in size and not too big. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove the Baci di Dama cookies from the oven and let cool on cookie sheet for five minutes. Then, move to cooling rack to let cool completely.
Step 4: fill the cookies
You can fill the cookies once they have cooled. Pour the chocolate chips or good dark chocolate into a small microwave safe bowl. Heat on low power, stopping to stir every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted.
To fill the cookies, spread about 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate on one side of the cookie, then sandwich closed with another cookie. Let the chocolate set before serving.
These deliciously little cookies come together quick and are great for special occasions or whenever your craving a sweet treat!
Recipe Tips
- You can find roasted hazelnuts online or at specialty grocery stores. Make your own by placing on a baking sheet and baking at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until fragrant.
- The baci di dama dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
- You can use semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips for this recipe. Nutella works too.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. You can also refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Baci di Dama?
Baci di dama cookies are traditional Italian treats from the Piedmont region of Italy consisting of two small, hazelnut-flavored cookies sandwiched together with a chocolate filling. They are named “lady’s kisses” due to their resemblance to lips puckering up for a kiss.
How to roast whole hazelnuts?
To roast whole hazelnuts, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them for about 10-15 minutes, or until they become fragrant and the skins start to crack.
More Italian Cookies!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or review in the comments section further down the page.
Baci di Dama
Equipment
- food processor with blade attachment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts, skinned and roasted (135 grams)
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130 grams)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold (113 grams)
- ¾ cup chocolate chips (dark chocolate or milk chocolate)
Instructions
- In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the hazelnuts, flour, sugar, and baking powder. Place the lid on the processor and pulse until a fine crumb forms similar to the texture of sand.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes. Add the butter to the processor and pulse until a dough forms. Pour the cookie dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a log shape. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll pieces of dough into small balls (about 14-15 grams each). Place the dough ball on the lined baking sheet leaving about an inch or two between each cookie.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the cookie turns light golden on the bottom. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes to cool before placing on wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the filling, place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat on low power, stopping to stir every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is melted. Spread about two teaspoons of chocolate on the bottom of one cookie and then carefully sandwich on the top.
- Let the baci di dama cookie set before serving.
Notes
- You can find roasted hazelnuts online or at specialty grocery stores. You can make your own by placing on a baking sheet and baking at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until fragrant.
- The baci di dama dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
- You can use semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips for this recipe. Nutella can be used for the filling but will not harden as well.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. You can also refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.
Would love to try these can I use almond flour and how much?
Use equal amounts of almond flour!
Made these because they looked fun and now they’re everyone’s favourite and I’m getting requests for more. So good with a good cup of coffee. Excellent recipe.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks Derek! 🙂
I love this Italian sandwich cookie recipe! I am going to make it for my family.
These are such a delightful treat. Love how easy they are to make, too!
I love these cookies! They’re so tasty. I’ll be making them for the holidays!
My family loooooooves hazelnut anything. I made these cookies with the kids last night and we all loved them! Definitely making again for Christmas.