Baci d’Alassio from The Italian Baker, Revised

I've been thinking about holiday menus for several weeks, especially my dessert options. As I was flipping across the pages of Carol Field's The Italian Baker, Revised, the Baci d'Alassio cookie recipe caught my eye.

Originally published in 1985, Field's award-winning collection of Italian baking techniques have been updated with color photography, an equipment section and source guides. If you've been curious about Italian pastries and bread, this is the definitive go-to book. Meanwhile, enjoy the chocolate kisses recipe below!

 

Baci d’Alassio (Chocolate Kisses from Alassio)

Makes 15 cookies

1 heaping cup (5.3 oz / 150 g) hazelnuts, toasted 
and skinned
3/4 cups (5.3 oz / 150 g) superfine sugar
11 ounces (300 g) almond paste
1 teaspoon (0.2 oz / 7 g) honey
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons (0.8 to 1 oz / 22 to 30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably 
Dutch process
Leftover cookies, such as butter, sugar, or 
chocolate, if needed
2 ounces (60 g) semisweet chocolate

Grind the hazelnuts with 2 tablespoons of the sugar to a coarse powder in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the remaining sugar and process to a fine powder. Add the almond paste and process to a smooth paste, or mix the nut mixture and the almond paste with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer the mixture from the food processor to a mixer bowl if necessary. Mix in the honey. Stir in the egg whites with a wooden spoon and then stir in the cocoa. The dough should be gooey and sticky but definitely not runny. When you pull a piece between your hands, it should stretch to a ribbon. If the dough is runny, grind leftover cookies to fine crumbs and stir a bit at a time into the dough to correct the consistency.

Shaping. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch star tip. Pipe small button stars 11/2 inches apart on buttered or parchment-lined baking sheets. Let stand uncovered overnight at room temperature to dry.

Baking. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should be chewy inside and look almost a bit undercooked. Cool completely on racks. While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Join two cookies together with melted chocolate. They should rest on their sides and be refrigerated 15 to 30 minutes to set the chocolate.

Carol's book is now available at local bookstores and TenSpeed.com.

Recipe reprinted from the book The Italian Baker, Revised by Carol Field. Copyright © 2011 by Carol Field. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

For editorial consideration, a review book copy was provided for this post.

Comments

[Carolyn Jung]

I have this book, too, and cannot wait to start baking from it. I think I have half the bread recipes bookmarked already. :)

[Tami]

It's a wonderful book. You'll have to share your results!