The Lady’s kisses are simple and delicious filled cookies typical of Piedmont, specifically from Tortona, a town in the province of Alessandria. The name suggests the resemblance of the two parts of the cookie to two lips about to kiss. They are made with chopped hazelnuts, all-purpose flour, sugar, and butter, without eggs and filled with hazelnut cream or melted dark chocolate. Perfect to serve with tea, as a snack or after meals.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 28 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Piedmont
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 7 tbsps butter
- 3/4 cup whole peeled hazelnuts
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch fine salt
- to taste hazelnut cream
Tools
- Kitchen scale
- Pan
- Food processor
- Stand mixer
- Paddle attachment
- Parchment paper
- 2 Baking sheets
- Dough scraper
- Plastic wrap
- Refrigerator
- Oven
- Work surface
- Teaspoon
- Spatula
- Tray
Steps
To prepare the Lady’s kisses…
In a pan, toast the whole peeled hazelnuts for a few minutes, then when they are toasted, pour them into the food processor and chop them finely.
In the bowl of the stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, pour the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, chopped hazelnuts, cubed butter, and pinch of salt. Operate the stand mixer for several minutes, increasing the speed until the ingredients begin to come together. Alternatively, you can mix the ingredients by hand.
Transfer the obtained dough onto the work surface and form it into a loaf. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
After the resting time, take little portions of the dough at a time and shape them into balls weighing 7 g each. As you make them, place them spaced apart on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 320°F (160°C) and cook them in fan mode for 20 minutes.
Once baked, remove them from the oven, let them cool by leaving them on the baking sheet or transfer them gently (be careful as they are very soft when hot and will harden once cooled) onto a tray using a spatula.
Once they are completely cooled, take one half, fill it with hazelnut cream, and place the other half on top. Continue this way until you finish all the pieces. The Lady’s kisses are ready to enjoy.
Variations
Instead of hazelnuts, you can use almonds, and for a richer version, you can add unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough.
