12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Week 6 ~ Baci di Dama

Baci di Dama via Bakewell Junction

It’s the sixth week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop hosted by Brenda Thompson from MealPlanningMagic.com.  If you’d like to join us, please fill out the form on Brenda’s blog.

This week was a little nerve wracking with the storm coming through.  We were lucky and didn’t experience any damage.  It was a little odd that there were people to the east and west without power (and of course to the south), but we were so lucky.  Not complaining – just sayin’.  Hopefully everyone who was adversely affected gets the help they need.

What does the this recipe’s name translate as?  Answer, Lady Kisses.  I don’t know if anyone else makes these cookies for Christmas but they’ve been on my Christmas cookie platter for several years.  The cookies are sweet, crunchy and crumbly – totally delicious.

Enjoy.

Baci di Dama

Yield:  18 – 36 sandwich cookies                  Cook Time:  10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced blanched almonds
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2:  Add the almonds, sugar, flour and butter to the bowl of a food processor or mini chopper.  Pulse to grind the almonds and ensure the mixture is homogeneous.  The mixture almost looks like a pie crust dough when the butter is cut in.

Step 3:  Using a tablespoon or a round spoon, take small scoops of the mixture and press it into the spoon shape.  If the spoon you’re using is very deep, don’t make the cookie too thick or compress the mixture too much, since this will make the cookies hard and harder to bite into.

Step 4:  Invert the spoon and gently slide the cookie out onto the lined cookie sheet with the tip of your thumb.  Repeat with the reminder of the cookie mixture but leave about an inch space between cookies on all sides.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are barely golden.  Let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.  Remove from cookie sheet and let cool to room temperature.

Step 5:  After the cookies have cooled, heat the chocolate in a double boiler or just place a bowl over simmering water to melt it.  Pair together similar sized and shaped cookies.  Spoon some melted chocolate on the flat side of one cookie and cover with another cookie (flat side towards the middle).  Gently press the cookies together so they stick together.  Let cool completely.  Try to refrain from eating them all.

Tips:  Do not compress the cookie mixture too much or make it too thick when shaping the cookie.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.  The cookies are fine for several days when stored this way.

Enjoy!!!

Adapted from Mario Batali’s recipe on Food Network.

Have a look at the other great cookies in the blog hop by clicking on the Linky Tools link below.  Sorry my blog doesn’t support the blog hop participant icons directly.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats Blog Hop

Week 6, November 1, 2012

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