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Baci di Alassio hazelnut chocolate cookies are small cocoa-hazelnut domes sandwiched with dark chocolate ganache, a pastry from Alassio on the Ligurian coast. Baci means kisses, and each pair is a little over 3 cm across.
The texture, not the sweetness, defines them. Ground hazelnuts make the crumb short and sandy, so the cookie breaks cleanly instead of bending.
I use 150 g of whole hazelnuts, toast them at 160 C / 320 F for 10 minutes, and grind them with a little of the sugar so they stay dry. The dough chills for 30 minutes, then each piece is rolled to 10 g.
The batch makes about 30 sandwiches and keeps for 7 days in the fridge. Make the ganache while the cookies bake so it’s ready to fill them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Whole toasted hazelnuts give a short, sandy bite
- One bowl of dough and one small pan of ganache
- Makes about 30 sandwiches that keep 7 days chilled
- Two trays bake at once in just 14 minutes
Ingredient Notes
- Hazelnuts: Whole raw hazelnuts give the best flavor. Hazelnut flour works too: use 150 g and toast it on the pan for 6 minutes, stirring once, then skip the skinning.
- Dark chocolate: Use a 60 to 70% bar, chopped fine. Chips are made to hold their shape and melt into a duller, thicker ganache.
- Butter: Unsalted and softened until a finger leaves a dent but the butter still feels cool. If it turns greasy, the dough spreads in the oven.
- Cocoa powder: Unsweetened. Dutch-process gives a darker, smoother cookie, but natural cocoa works at the same weight.
- Heavy cream: Use 36% fat cream. Milk won’t set into a ganache that holds two cookies together.
- Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar dissolves into the butter and keeps the crumb fine. Granulated sugar leaves a coarser, crunchier cookie.
Baci di Alassio Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies with Ganache
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 160 C / 320 F. Spread the hazelnuts on a 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes, until the skins split and the nuts smell fragrant. Wrap them in a clean towel, rub off most of the skins, and cool for 10 minutes.
- Pulse the cooled hazelnuts with 2 tbsp of the powdered sugar in a food processor for 20 to 30 seconds, until they look like fine, dry sand.
- In a 26 cm / 10-inch bowl, beat the butter and the remaining powdered sugar with a hand mixer for 2 minutes, until pale. Beat in the yolk and vanilla, then stir in the ground hazelnuts, flour, cocoa, and salt until no dry streaks remain. Press the dough into a disk, wrap it, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven back to 160 C / 320 F and line two 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch sheet pans with parchment. Roll the dough into 10 g balls, about 2 tsp each, to make 60, and set 30 on each pan, 5 cm apart. Bake on the middle and upper-middle racks for 14 minutes, swapping and rotating the pans at 7 minutes, until the tops look matte and the edges feel set. Cocoa dough hides browning, so go by the clock and the edges, because cookies baked past 16 minutes turn bitter.
- While the cookies bake, bring the cream to a bare simmer in a 1-quart / 1 L saucepan. Pour it over the chopped chocolate in a 20 cm / 8-inch heatproof bowl, wait 1 minute, then stir until smooth and glossy. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until it thickens to the texture of soft peanut butter.
- Let the baked cookies cool on the pans for 20 minutes, then pair them by size. Turn one half of each pair upside down, spoon a generous 1 tsp (about 7 g) of ganache onto the flat side, and press the matching cookie on top with a slight twist. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Cool toasted hazelnuts for 10 minutes before grinding so they crumble instead of smearing.
- Weigh each dough piece at 10 g so both halves of a pair match.
- Let the ganache thicken at room temperature for 30 minutes before filling.
- Keep filled cookies in the fridge for up to 7 days and serve after 20 minutes on the counter.
Tips for Success
- Weigh the first few dough pieces at 10 g, then judge the rest by eye so both halves of a pair match.
- Pulse the cooled hazelnuts with 2 tbsp of the sugar and stop at a fine crumb, before any oil shows.
- Rotate and swap the trays at 7 minutes, because the back of most ovens runs hotter and small cookies color unevenly.
- Wait until the ganache is as thick as soft peanut butter before filling, so it holds its shape between the halves.
- Pair the cooled cookies by size before turning half of them over, so each sandwich sits flat and level.
Variations
- Swap the hazelnuts for 150 g blanched almonds, toasted and ground the same way, for a milder and slightly sweeter cookie.
- Stir 1 tbsp smooth hazelnut butter into the warm ganache for a softer filling with a stronger nut flavor.
- Use 150 g milk chocolate and cut the cream to 60 ml for a sweeter filling that still sets firm.
Storage and Reheating
Baci di Alassio keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Layer them with parchment, and take them out 20 minutes before eating so the ganache softens.
Unfilled cookies keep airtight at room temperature for 5 days and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter for 30 minutes, then fill with fresh ganache.
They’re a good make-ahead cookie, since the halves can be baked 2 days early and filled when you need them. They’re meant to be eaten at cool room temperature, so no warming is needed.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Baci di Alassio with a small espresso or a glass of Moscato d’Asti at the end of a meal. Two cookies per person is a standard serving, and they’re rich enough that most people stop there.
For a dessert plate, stack 3 or 4 beside sliced pears or orange segments. The fruit’s acidity balances the dark chocolate.
For gifts, pack them in a tin between sheets of parchment and keep the tin somewhere cool until you hand it over.
FAQ
How do I know when Baci di Alassio cookies are done, since cocoa dough hides browning?
Pull them at 14 minutes, when the surface looks matte and dry and the edges feel set if you touch one gently. Cocoa dough hides browning, so color isn’t a reliable guide. They’re still slightly soft on the tray and firm up as they cool for 20 minutes.
Can I use almonds instead of hazelnuts in Baci di Alassio?
Yes, use 150 g blanched almonds, toasted and ground the same way. The cookie tastes milder and a little sweeter, and the crumb is slightly drier than with hazelnuts. I’d skip walnuts, whose bitter skins clash with the dark chocolate in the ganache filling.
Can I freeze Baci di Alassio hazelnut chocolate cookies?
Yes, freeze the unfilled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter for 30 minutes, then fill with fresh ganache. I fill after thawing because the ganache stays glossy and the cookies stay crisper than they do after a freeze.
What goes well with Baci di Alassio hazelnut chocolate cookies?
Serve them with espresso, which cuts the sweetness of the ganache, or with a small glass of Moscato d’Asti. They also sit well beside a bowl of fresh fruit like pears or oranges at the end of a meal. Two cookies per person is a standard serving.
Are Baci di Alassio hazelnut cookies gluten free?
Not as written, because the dough uses 150 g all-purpose flour. A 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend in the same weight should work, though I haven’t tested it and the cookies may be more crumbly. The hazelnuts, cocoa, chocolate, and cream are naturally gluten free, but check the chocolate label.
What is the difference between baci di dama and Baci di Alassio?
Baci di dama come from Piedmont and are usually a pale dough made with equal weights of ground hazelnuts, flour, butter, and sugar. Baci di Alassio are Ligurian, and this version uses cocoa in the dough for a darker, more chocolate-forward cookie. Both are sandwiched with dark chocolate.