ABOUT THE ART
A stained glass window depicting St. Julian of Norwich (c. 1342 – c. 1416 CE) in prayer. From the Norwich Cathedral in England.
Julian of Norwich – May 13th
“All shall be well, all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well.”
These are the most cherished words of St. Julian, or Lady Julian as she is called. She was a medieval English lay woman who had a revelation of God’s love while gravely ill. Subsequently she wrote the first book in the English language attributed to a woman. Her Revelations of Divine Love records her visions which still inspire the church today.
The book starts with a vision of a hazelnut in the palm of her hand that represented the cosmos. She marveled at how such “a little thing” could continue and not just fall into nothingness. The answer that she received is that it “continueth and always shall, because God loveth it; and in that way everything hath its being by the love of God.”
For her feast day on May 13th we recommend Baci Di Dama, also known as “Lady Kisses.” These small sandwich cookies include two hazelnut cookies and rich chocolate filling. They are a perfect way to remember Lady Julian’s message to the world.
As we enjoy these hazelnut treats, remember that because of God’s love, all shall be well.
Baci Di Dama
Baci di dama (meaning "lady's kisses" in Italian) are small, delicate, and sweet cookies that originated in the Piedmont region of Italy. They are made by sandwiching two small, hazelnut-based cookies together with a layer of chocolate in between. The cookies are typically small and round, and have a crumbly, buttery texture with a nutty and slightly sweet flavor. They are often served as a sweet treat or dessert, and can be enjoyed with coffee or tea.
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Ingredients
1 cup 1 hazelnuts, toasted
1/2 cup 1/2 all-purpose flour
1/4 cup 1/4 sugar
2 tablespoons 2 cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 salt
5 tablespoons 5 unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 vanilla extract
1/2 cup 1/2 bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Process the 1 cup hazelnuts, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely ground, or about 30 seconds.
- Add the 5 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and process until the dough comes together.
- Once the dough comes together, transfer the dough to a counter and begin making small dough balls. Place them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. You should have enough dough to make between 70 – 80 small cookies.
- Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 15 – 18 minutes, switching and rotating pans about halfway through.
- Microwave the 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips in a small bowl at 50% power for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until melted. Spread a small amount of chocolate over the bottom half of the cookies and then top with the remaining cookies.
- Let chocolate set about 15 minutes before serving.