These delightful little ganache filled biscuits feature a soft, chewy centre and a crisp outer. They are named Baci di Alassio, which literally translates as ‘Kisses from Alassio’. The coastal town of Alassio is situated on the coast in Liguria, North West Italy, where they originate from.

Serve these after a meal with a bowl of strawberries, a chocolate cream liqueur for a truly romantic setting.

Ingredients (Makes 18)

100g Belgian cooking chocolate

115g almond meal

165g caster sugar

15g sifted Dutch cocoa powder

25g honey

¼ tsp vanilla essence

2 free range egg whites

60g heavy cream

Method

Grease and line 2 baking sheets. Preheat oven to 220C, or 200C fan forced.

Put 25g chocolate in heatproof bowl over simmering water (bowl base must not touch water) and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

In a clean mixing bowl place almond meal, cocoa powder, melted chocolate, honey and vanilla essence. Stir well to combine. Add lightly beaten egg whites and mix to a smooth dough.

Place well-spaced apart teaspoons of mixture onto lined baking sheets and bake 8-10 mins until just set and lightly browned. Transfer, still on paper liner to wire racks to cool.

Bring cream just to the boil and pour over remaining chocolate, wait two mins, then stir gently to combine to a smooth ganache. Allow to stand at room temperature until cooled to a thicker consistency; use to sandwich biscuits together. Allow to set before serving.

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