Juliet's Cookies

In Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, thousands of star-crossed lovers have written their names on the entrance walls to Juliet’s house which at one time were completely covered with graffiti. Although not completely condoned by the Italian establishment it is a long standing tradition that is now confined to panels placed at the entrance with sticky notes and torn sheets of notebook paper replacing the graffiti

On the two days of the Valentine festa the front door of Juliet’s house is completely covered in love letters which on14th are taken down and judged. The Cara Giulietta (Dear Juliet) prize is awarded for the most beautiful love letter which is archived together with those from past celebrations. The 2010 movie Letters to Juliet is based on this tradition.

Another long standing tradition for an Italian inspired Valentine's Day is Baci di Giulietta cookies, a Italian sandwich cookie with a chocolate center from Verona. Baci means kisses in Italian and Baci di Giulietta are often given in remembrance of Romeo and Juliet, especially on Valentine's Day. Baci di Giulietta are a variation of another popular Italian cookie, Baci di dama, (lady's kisses). A hazelnut cookie with a layer of dark chocolate sandwiched between. From the Piedmont region of Italy they are popular at Christmas and considered to be a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale, a traditional culinary product of Italy.

Baci di Giulietta (Juliet’s Cookies)

1 cup unsalted organic butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup of confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1-1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (or vanilla or almond extract)

2 cups unbleached flour

2-4 ounces good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate 

2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter (room temperature)

In a large mixer bowl, beat the 2 sticks butter, sugar, rum and salt until well blended. Gradually add the flour until mixed, making sure all ingredients are fully combined. Remove dough from mixing bowl and place in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for an hour to chill (until dough is firm to the touch.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a small teaspoon, scoop the dough and roll into a ball and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.Roll all the dough into these ball shapes and bake for 10-12 minutes, just until lightly golden brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and let cool. 

In a double boiler (5-10 min) or microwave safe deep bowl, melt the chocolate along with the 2 tbsp. of butter until soft and blended. If using microwave heat for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes at a time, mixing as you go until mixture is welled.

Assemble the cookies by carefully slicing each cookie in half. Take one half and spread a small amount of the melted chocolate mixture on the bottom and top with the other cookie half, sandwich-style, bottoms together. Carefully place constructed cookies on a wire rack to set. Let the finished cookies set for about 15 minutes or so until the chocolate has hardened. Serve these immediately or store in well sealed containers (up to 1 week) or freeze in containers or plastic freezer bags.