Cookies

Ladies Kisses

Ingredients:

• 110g whole hazelnuts or almonds (I used ready prepared grounded almond)
  
• 100 g icing sugar
• 100 g unsalted butter1/4 tsp grated lemon
• 120 g superfine flour (I used Top Flour)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 75g chocolate, cut into small pieces

How to do it:

1. Toast hazelnuts or almonds in a frying pan over a very low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Cool and rub off skins only on hazelnuts as the almonds skins do not rub off easily. Cool. (Skip this if you are using ready grounded nuts.)
   
2. Line 2-3 baking trays with non-stick parchment paper. Preheat oven to 160C
   
3. Place nuts and icing sugar in a food processor and grind to a coarse powerly texture. Set aside.
   (Just sift the icing sugar if you are using grounded nuts.)
   
4. Soften butter by beating in a small mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the nut mixture and grated rind and beat until creamy.
   
5. Add flour and salt, mixing just long enough to mix well - do not overwork. The dough should be firm but not crumbly.
   
6. Pinch off very small balls of dough (1/2 a teaspoon) and roll in balls.
   
7. Arrange, evenly space with room for a bit of spreading on the paper-lined baking trays.
   
8. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly coloured - do not over-brown.
   
9. Cool cookies on rack.
   
10. Gently melt chocolate in a small bowl over simmering water, stirring constantly - heat until chocolate melts.
    
11. Cool slightly until chocolate starts to thicken.
    
12. Transfer into a disposable plastic piping bag and snip a small hole at the base of the bag.
    
13. Arrange half the cookies - flat side up - on a tray and pipe a small blob of chocolate on each cookies.
    
14. Allow chocolate to set slightly, before sandwiching with the remaining half of the cookies. Store in an airtight container.