Delightful cookie kisses from Ligura
During a family vacation in Liguria’s province of Savona, I ventured off the beach to buy focaccia for lunch.
At the panetteria, some chocolatey-looking sandwich cookies immediately caught my eye. When it comes to desserts, I like to think of myself as somewhat of an intenditrice or connoisseur … which really just means I have a huge sweet tooth. These cookies, though, I had never seen before.
Pointing to cookies, I asked if they were chocolate Baci di Dama.
“No, no, no,” the shopkeeper responded. They were not Baci di Dama, which are typical of Piemonte. They were Baci di Alassio, typical of Liguria.
Of course, I had to try them.
Although Baci di Alassio resemble Baci di Dama, their look, texture, and taste are quite different.
Upon looking more closely at the cookies I had just purchased, I realized that Baci di Alassio are ruffled while Baci di Dama are rounded and smooth.
Tasting the cookies, my husband and I expected what we were used to – crumbly, nutty, buttery Baci di Dama. Instead, Baci di Alassio are chewy and dense. Their filling is chocolatey and decadent. Finally, they are not too sweet.
After a bite or two, we decided that we really liked them – even better than Baci di Dama! We proceeded to get them for breakfast – convincing ourselves they were good for breakfast because they aren’t too sweet.
Baci di Alassio were invented around 1910 in the town of Alassio, in Liguria’s province of Savona.
The cookies are made with cocoa and with hazelnuts, which were abundant at the time in the neighboring region of Piedmont. Both sugar and honey sweeten them. Instead of butter and flour, whipped egg whites hold the cookies together – resulting in the rather delicate and chewy texture.
They are filled with a chocolate ganache – made of dark chocolate and cream.
According to the story, in the early 1900s, tourism to the Ligurian coast was beginning to pick up. The creator of Baci di Alassio, Rinaldo Balzola, had a pastry shop in the Ligurian coastal town of Alassio. To attract tourists, Balzola wanted to create a cookie that could also serve as a souvenir. The delicious Baci di Alassio were born!
Over a hundred years later, Baci di Alassio have become famous on the Ligurian coast. Pastry shops and bakeries all over the region make and sell them. Tourists – like me – are happy to enjoy Baci di Alassio during vacation but also as a tasty souvenir to remember their time on the Ligurian coast.
Italian Vocabulary related to Baci di Alassio
All Around Italia helps you learn about Italy and also learn Italian! Here are some words related to Baci di Alassio. Have you heard these before?
l’albume (m.) – egg white, also known as bianco d’uovo
I Baci di Alassio si fanno con albumi montati a neve. / Baci di Alassio are made with beaten egg whites.
morbido – soft
La consistenza dei Baci di Alassio è semi-morbida. / The consistency of Baci di Alassio is rather soft and chewy.
la riviera – coast
I Baci di Alassio furono inventati appositamente per i turisti sulla riviera ligure. / I Baci di Alassio were invented specifically for tourists on the Ligurian Coast.
The original recipe for Baci di Alassio is a secret! Many, however, have taken their best guess and produced delicious results. To make the Baci at home, I have tried a few recipes. I like this recipe from Il Club delle Ricette but have reduced the amount of sugar.
Below, see my English translation of the recipe. I added measurement conversions for the United States.
Ingredients (for roughly 25 cookies)
1 cup of whole hazelnuts (250 grams)
½ cup of sugar (100 grams)
2 ¼ teaspoons of cornstarch (10 grams)
1 tablespoon of honey
2 egg whites – whipped with an electric blender to have stiff peaks
2 tablespoons of dark chocolate cocoa powder (20 grams)
½ cup of heavy cream (100 milliliters)
¾ cup of dark chocolate chips or chunks (130 grams)
Kitchen Tools
Food processor
Electric mixer
Pastry bag with a star tip (if you want them to look like the Baci di Alassio you find in Liguria)
Preparation
To prepare the Baci di Alassio, start by putting the chopped chocolate and heavy cream in a saucepan. Heat with a low flame until a uniform ganache forms. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap directly on top of the ganache.
Put the hazelnuts and sugar into a food processor. Blend into a fine powder. Don’t leave large pieces or the recipe won’t work. Sift in the cocoa powder and cornstarch. Add the honey and stiffly whipped egg whites. Mix together to create a dry and solid dough.
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch or 15 millimeter star tip. Pipe the cookies (you may have to press hard) evenly distanced on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Cook in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool.
Once cooled, add some chocolate ganache between each pair of cookies. Once ready, serve your Baci di Alassio … maybe with a good tea!
Samantha’s Notes: This is a fun and relatively easy recipe to make with your family.
Sometimes, the dough doesn’t get quite as solid as it should. Other times, I don’t have a pastry bag on hand and just use a gallon freezer bag with a hole cut out. When these things happen, I get flat and round cookie sandwiches, but the taste (which I care about most) is still Baci di Alassio – delicious and refined!
Buon appetito!