While it turns out that Baci is just as much a nickname for chocolate hazelnut as Nutella, I’m sure they’d be happy to know that, in my mind at least, they’re the Kleenex of chocolate hazelnut candy!  Baci, which means kiss in Italian, is the much more delicious Nestle version of our Hershey Kisses.  Not only  is their taste superior to our plain Jane chocolates, but they come with little multilingual love notes inside the wrapper! 

 

I’ll never forget my trip to the chocolate festival in Perugia, the home of the Perugina factory where these little pecks of heaven are crafted.  There was chocolate everywhere!  Hot chocolate as thick as honey, decadent chocolate desserts, and even a chocolate sculpture contest where artists chipped away at life size blocks of cocoa while people crowded at their feet to catch the scraps*.  How they maintained focus I will never know!  It was a trip to remember, even 6 years later.  And so here’s a little chip of Perugia just for you! 

 

Dillo con un Bacio! 

 

*Scraps?!  Excuse my blasphemy. 

 

Browned Butter Baci Biscotti

 

• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ c sugar
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp hazelnut extract (0pt)
• 1 stick butter, browned
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 4 cups flour
• ½ c chocolate chunks
• 1 c hazelnuts, chopped

 

In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat and cook until browned.  It should smell nutty! 

 

Beat eggs thoroughly for about 5 minutes, add sugar, and beat for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Mix in extracts and half of the browned butter.  Blend in the baking powder and enough of the flour to make a soft dough, then add the nuts and chocolate.  Add in the remainder of the flour until combined.  Stir in remaining butter and refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm. 

 

Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into a log (see below) and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F. 

 

Take out, let cool for 5 minutes, and slice thin (3/4 inch) diagonal slices using a serrated knife.  Return to oven and brown bottom for 6 minutes, flip, and bake for an additional 6 minutes.  Let cool for at least an hour before storing. 

 

Not too long ago, one of the girls at work brought in Browned Butter Cookies.  Have you ever had browned butter?  It’s amazing.  While I noticed the flavors are much more intense when used as a sauce, how could I not try to incorporate this deliciously nutty transformation of an everyday staple into baked goods!  And so my quest for a Browned Butter Cake began. 

 

 

Upon googling brown(ed) butter cake I was presented with a myriad of recipes for Hazelnut Browned Butter Cake.  Surprised at how common this relatively specific cake was I decided to go for the one recipe that opted for almonds instead.  Sorry hazelnut.  Why is it that all the cakes containing browned butter also contain nuts?  I don’t know exactly, but imagine that it brings out the aforementioned nutty flavors of the butter.  When you taste this cake you’ll see what I mean.  It has flavors quite unique from anything you’ve had before.  The recipe, too, is quite unique.  It contains no trace leavening agent, powdered sugar instead of the usual white, hardly any flour, and meringue?!  Crazy, I know. 

 

Almond Browned Butter Cake

 

• 2.5 oz sliver almonds, toasted
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter, 1 stick
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c + 2 1/2 T powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 T all-purpose flour

• 3 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 T granulated sugar

  

Preheat the oven to 350.

 

In a saucepan melt the butter and continue cooking over medium heat until browned, 4-5 minutes.  Let cool.

 

 

 

Using a food processor, blend almonds and powdered sugar until fine.  Gradually add flour and pulse until combined.

 

 

 

 

In a chilled metal bowl, whip egg whites and sugar until they form stiff peaks.   

 

NOTE:  Thanks to my roomie the master meringue maker!

  

 

Gradually fold in butter and almond mixtures and pour into pans.

 

Bake for 30 minutes and let cool.

 

Apricot Filling

 

• ¼ cup apricot jam
• 1 t ground ginger

 

Mix and spread between cooled cake layers.

  

Chocolate Ganache

 

• 1/4 c cream
• 2 1/3 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 t coffee or espresso

 

Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat.  Whisk in chocolate and flavoring until smooth and let cool to drizzling temperature. 

 

NOTE: I garnished with miniature chocolate chips and ground ginger.