Baci Di Damas

These crisp on the outside, tender on the inside sandwich cookies are each just one bite of richness with deep rich chocolate in the center. And just like ladies’ kisses, they’ll leave you wanting more.

Makes 36 sandwich cookies

Ingredient List:

• 5 tablespoons vegan butter substitute, cold
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• Pinch sea salt
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup finely ground almond or hazelnut meal (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
• ½ cup sprouted whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour

Chocolate Filling

• 1 ounce non-dairy, dark chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons brown rice syrup (I use Suzanne’s Specialties)

Step By Step Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F and position the oven racks in the middle and lower middle of the oven. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

Cream the cold vegan butter with vanilla, coconut sugar and sea salt until smooth in a stand mixer. Add arrowroot, baking soda almond/hazelnut meal and flour. Mix until a soft dough forms. Do not over-mix. Turn the dough onto a dry work surface and create a soft ball. 

Pinch off small pieces of dough (about the size of the first digit of you first finger). Roll into small balls and arange on baking sheet with some space between the balls. You should have between 72 and 80 small balls of dough on the baking sheets.

Bake for 16 minutes, rotating the racks halfway through baking, at 8 minutes. The cookies should be a wee bit soft to the touch. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks and cool completely.

When the cookies are cooled, make the chocolate filling. Melt chocolate and rice syrup in a heat-resistant bowl over simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water), whisking often until the chocolate is creamy smooth and shiny. Transfer bowl to a dry towel on your work surface. Pairing cookies of similar size, spoon ¼-teaspoon of filling on the flat side of a cookie and gently press the flat site of the other cookie into the chocolate, creating a tiny “sandwich.” Repeat with all cookies and chocolate.

COOK’S TIP: If the chocolate thickens while you are working, simply loosen it over simmering water for a few seconds and continue.

COOK’S TIP: I use rimmed cookie sheets for this recipe as I want the cookies to be tender inside and I have found that rimless “cookie” sheets result in a hard cookie.