Baci di Dama – Italian Hazelnut Cookies

Gather your ingredients before you begin.

Toast the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant, about 12 to 14 minutes, shaking the sheet halfway through toasting. To skin them, gather the warm hazelnuts in a dish towel and rub to remove some of the skins.

Process the hazelnuts, flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until hazelnuts are very finely ground, about 20 to 25 seconds. Add the chilled butter and pulse until dough just comes together, about 20 to 25 pulses.

Transfer the dough to a one-gallon zip top bag, knead briefly to form smooth ball, place in the prepared 8-inch baking pan, and press into even layer that covers bottom of pan. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Run knife between dough and edge of pan to loosen. Turn out dough onto a cutting board and discard parchment. Cut dough into 64 squares (8 rows by 8 rows).

Roll dough squares into balls and evenly space 32 dough balls on each prepared baking sheet.

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies look dry and are fragrant (cookies will settle but not spread), about 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cookies cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Microwave the chocolate in small bowl at 50 percent power, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let chocolate cool at room temperature until it is slightly thickened and registers 80 degrees, about 10 minutes.