Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies Baci Di Dama Recipes

BACI DI DAMA

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, confectioners' sugar, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and salt until completely combined. Add the cold butter all at once, and continue to pulse until it comes together.
• Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten to about 1 inch, then wrap well and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of dough and roll into small balls, then transfer to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through, until dry to the touch, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool undisturbed (the cookies are fragile) on the cookie sheets on a rack.
• Once cool, spread the chocolate hazelnut spread on the bottoms of the cookies and sandwich them together. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cool. Transfer the hazelnuts to a resealable plastic bag and finely crush with a rolling pin.
• Whisk the crushed hazelnuts with the flour, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg, then the milk, then the hazelnut liqueur, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined (the consistency will be more like a thick batter than a cookie dough).
• Transfer the dough to a large resealable plastic bag. Cut a 1/2-inch opening at one corner. Pipe 1-inch mounds about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Tap each pan on the counter a few times to flatten the mounds slightly. Sprinkle half of the mounds with coarse sugar (these will be the tops).
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are flattened and the edges are golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Sandwich the chocolate-hazelnut spread between the cookies.