Small-Batch Baci Di Dama
By Andrea GearyPublished on December 2, 2024
Time
50 minutes, plus 45 minutes cooling
Yield
Makes 10 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
Before You Begin
This recipe works well in a countertop oven. Toast the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in a 325-degree oven until fragrant, 13 to 15 minutes, shaking the sheet halfway through. To skin them, gather the warm nuts in a kitchen towel and rub to remove the skins; it's OK if some bits of skin remain. We strongly recommend measuring your ingredients by weight where one is provided. We prefer Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar for this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using spice grinder, grind hazelnuts and sugar until very finely ground, 15 to 20 seconds, shaking grinder frequently. Transfer to bowl. Add flour and salt and stir until combined. Add butter and rub into flour mixture until dough forms.
- Transfer dough to counter and knead briefly to form smooth, uniform ball. Pat dough into 4 by 5-inch rectangle of even thickness. Using dough scraper or knife, cut dough into 20 portions (4 rows by 5 rows).
- Roll portions into balls and evenly space on prepared sheet. Bake until cookies look dry and are fragrant (cookies will settle but not spread), about 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cookies cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Microwave chocolate in small bowl at 50 percent power, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted, about 1 minute. Let chocolate cool at room temperature until it is slightly thickened and registers 80 degrees, about 10 minutes. Invert half of cookies. Using ¼ teaspoon measure, spoon chocolate onto flat surfaces of all inverted cookies. Top with remaining cookies, pressing lightly to adhere. Let chocolate set for at least 15 minutes before serving. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.)
Time
50 minutes, plus 45 minutes coolingYield
Makes 10 sandwich cookiesIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Our Baci di Dama, diminutive hazelnut butter cookies sandwiched with dark chocolate, have been a reader favorite since they were published in 2019, but portioning, rolling, and baking 64 tiny cookies is a bit of a project. Instead, this one-third recipe makes 10 sandwich cookies, just enough to serve with coffee or to box up as a small gift, and they come together very quickly and can even be baked in a countertop oven. Because the volume of ingredients is smaller, we substituted a spice grinder for the food processor used in the original recipe.
Before You Begin
This recipe works well in a countertop oven. Toast the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in a 325-degree oven until fragrant, 13 to 15 minutes, shaking the sheet halfway through. To skin them, gather the warm nuts in a kitchen towel and rub to remove the skins; it's OK if some bits of skin remain. We strongly recommend measuring your ingredients by weight where one is provided. We prefer Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar for this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using spice grinder, grind hazelnuts and sugar until very finely ground, 15 to 20 seconds, shaking grinder frequently. Transfer to bowl. Add flour and salt and stir until combined. Add butter and rub into flour mixture until dough forms.
- Transfer dough to counter and knead briefly to form smooth, uniform ball. Pat dough into 4 by 5-inch rectangle of even thickness. Using dough scraper or knife, cut dough into 20 portions (4 rows by 5 rows).
- Roll portions into balls and evenly space on prepared sheet. Bake until cookies look dry and are fragrant (cookies will settle but not spread), about 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cookies cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Microwave chocolate in small bowl at 50 percent power, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted, about 1 minute. Let chocolate cool at room temperature until it is slightly thickened and registers 80 degrees, about 10 minutes. Invert half of cookies. Using ¼ teaspoon measure, spoon chocolate onto flat surfaces of all inverted cookies. Top with remaining cookies, pressing lightly to adhere. Let chocolate set for at least 15 minutes before serving. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.)
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