Homemade Italian Baci Perugina Recipe

The Baci (Italian for Kisses) are very similar to the American Hershey kisses despite the fact they’re richer and full of hazelnuts and chocolate spread. They’re very famous in Italy and usually loved by everyone because they’re just amazing. An inside made of gianduja and chopped hazelnuts, shaped as a ball and topped with a whole hazelnut, all covered in melted dark chocolate. Pure heaven, basically.

The Baci are part of the Italian history since 1922 thanks to the famous brand Perugina and most of all to the wife of the co-founders who used some of the leftover chopped hazelnuts and chocolate and covered everything with dark chocolate. Since then, Baci Perugina are History.

You can make your own Baci at home by using a good quality chocolate and eventually wrapping your creation in some tin foil just to make them look almost like the originals. you can keep your baci in the refrigerator and pull them out 10-15 minutes before serving to avoid they are too hard. They can also be stored in a box for a week, in a refrigerator or even at room temperature if your house is not too hot. You can also cover your baci with white chocolate or flavored one.

Homemade baci: ingredients for about 20

100 grams of chopped hazelnuts
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
100 grams of chocolate spread
100 grams of milk chocolate
Whole hazelnuts without shell
200 grams of dark chocolate

Homemade baci: recipe

1. Melt the milk chocolate in a double boiler;
2. Combine the chocolate spread, the chopped hazelnuts and the cocoa powder and mix;
3. Place the mixture in the freezer until it begins to harden;
4. Pull the mixture out of the freezer and roll into balls with your hands;
5. Add a hazelnuts on top of each ball by pressing lightly;
6. Put the balls in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes;
7. After 30 minutes, pull out the truffles from the fridge and in the meantime melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler;
8. Cover the truffles with the melted dark chocolate then put your baci into the refrigerator. Serve your baci at room temperature.

Preparation time: 1.30 hours

[Foto di Giuseppe]