Just Baking

Have you ever had a recipe that you’ve always wanted to make but never got around to? I’m sure most of you can empathize with my sentiment; having a recipe that wouldn’t (or couldn’t) go away because it was stuck in the recesses of your brain waiting to become real. For me, the recipe was Baci di Dama and finally after years of waiting, these cookies became a reality.

“Lady’s Kisses” are a very apt name for these little buttery almond cookies. They’re light and sweet, but getting the perfect one can sometimes be elusive. Normally, I don’t have a lot of trouble making new types of cookies but these ones were like trying to get a kiss on the lips, failing and settling for a kiss on the forehead instead.

The dough for the Baci di Dama is very dry and crumbly. It requires a lot of squeezing to be able to be rolled into a ball for baking. Once they were all lined up like marbles I baked them for the suggested 12 minutes and got a some darkly burnt ones and some flat cookies. I sort of panicked when I took them out wondering how I could get so many cookie shape variations on one try. For the second batch, I reduced the baking time by two minutes which made a huge difference and picked out the better ones to fill with Nutella. Overall, the cookies were fantastic to eat. They were delicate, sandy and not too sweet. I could have eaten them plain, but filling them with chocolate is what you’re supposed to do and it makes for a much nicer presentation. I would definitely try to make these again and if you do try to make them, have patience - it takes a bit of time to roll out all those teaspoon-sized balls!

2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, lemon rind and vanilla until very light. Beat in almonds; beat in flour to make crumbly mixture. Lightly squeeze dough into ball.

Shape level teaspoonfuls (5 mL) of dough into balls. Place about 1 1/2-inches (4 cm) apart on parchment paper-lined or lightly greased baking sheets; flatten slightly with palm. Bake in 350° F (180° C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes or just until lightly golden. Let cool completely on baking sheets on rack.

Meanwhile, in top of double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate. Spread over underside of one of the cookies; sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Source: Canadian Living Best Muffins & More, 1994