Baci Di Dama (“Lady’s Kisses”)

Ingredients:

150g Hazelnut Meal (Ground shelled hazelnuts)

150g softened salted butter

150g caster sugar

150g plain flour

100 g dark chocolate

Method:

1) Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl, until light and fluffy.

2) Add in the hazelnut meal and plain flour, and combine to form a dough. Knead the dough well, to ensure that the butter is evenly dispersed through the dough. This will allow the dough to form correctly, without being too crumbly. 

3) Once the dough is formed, rest it in the fridge for an hour, or overnight. Then, roll the dough into logs, and then into tiny balls (the size of an unshelled hazelnut). 

4) Allow the balls to rest in the fridge for another hour, before baking them in a preheated oven, at 180 degrees Celsius, until golden brown.

5) Once the cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, until melted. Then sandwich the cookies together with the chocolate filling in the centre. 

6) Dust the cookies with some icing sugar, and enjoy them with a cup of coffee or tea!