Italian Baci di Dama - Lady Kisses

1. Place the skinned almonds or hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and roast in a pre-heated oven for about 6-8 minutes. Move to a clean bowl and let cool completely. 
2. In the food processor add the nuts and the sugar, blend until very finely ground. Move the mixture to a large bowl then add the the flour, vanilla, egg, butter and salt, mix with a fork until almost combined. 
3. Move the mixture to a lightly floured flat surface and knead gently to form a compact dough.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and form into small balls about 8 grams or 1/4 ounce. Make sure you don't make the cookies too big or they won't bake properly, they will remain gummy inside.
5. Pre-heat oven to 300F / 150C.
6. Place the formed balls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate while the oven is pre-heating, about 20-30 minutes.
7. Remove the cookie sheets from the fridge and bake for approximately 12-14 minutes or until slightly golden, cool the cookies completely before filling. Spread the cooled cookies with some filling then cover with another cookie. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1. Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a bowl. Heat the cream until very hot and then pour over the chocolate, stir constantly until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool and thicken. I found putting the ruby chocolate in the fridge was the best way to firm it up.