Lady's Kisses

Baci di dama are biscuits made of two crumbly shortcrust pastry spheres joined by a thin layer of chocolate. 

They're perfect with tea and coffee, but be careful, they're so good you can't stop.

They are simple to make and the recipe is also very easy to remember because all the ingredients have the same quantities. 

Today we will see them with a hazelnut flavour.

Procedure

In a bowl, weigh the cold refrigerated margarine cut into cubes and the 00 flour. Mix by hand, or in a stand mixer with the leaf hook, until you obtain a sandy consistency. 

Then add the remaining ingredients: salt, hazelnut flour, and granulated sugar. Mix well until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, covered with cling film, and shape it into a rectangle measuring approximately 18 x 22 cm. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Cut the long side into 11 strips, so strips of 2cm each.

And the short side in 9 strips, so to obtain 2x2cm squares.

Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. 

Now make balls with each square, but you need to press them together to form a sphere, not just roll them between your hands, otherwise the dough will crumble. 

Then arrange the balls on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a micro-perforated mat, spaced apart from each other as they will expand slightly.

Cook in a fan oven at 180˚C for approximately 18 minutes.

Allow to cool to room temperature. 

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or in a bain-marie until the temperature reaches 27-28˚C, no higher, melt slowly. 

Transfer to a piping bag or paper cone. 

In alternating lines, turn the biscuits upside down.

Place a small amount of chocolate on each cookie, turning it over and then on the flat side. 

Before the chocolate hardens, pair a chocolate-filled cookie with an unfilled one. Repeat this process with all the cookies until they're all paired. 

Transfer to a container or under a glass bell jar.