Do you love Italian chocolates? If so, you’re going to love this homemade chocolate recipe for Italian kisses! This Baci chocolate recipe requires milk and dark chocolate, hazelnuts, Nutella®, butter and cocoa powder. They make the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion. You won’t believe how easy it is to make these Baci balls!
Italian chocolates are known around the world for their quality and taste.
Baci, which means “kisses” in Italian, is a popular brand of Italian chocolate candy. These chocolate treats have been in production since 1922 and to this day, the Perugia factory still produces thousands of Baci chocolates daily.
This chocolate-covered hazelnut confection is a creative and innovative recipe from fashion designer Luisa Spagnoli. The combination of chopped nuts and melted chocolate filling is topped with a whole roasted hazelnut and submerged in dark chocolate. This is sure to satisfy your chocolate cravings!
Baci chocolates are a classic Italian chocolate candy synonymous with love and romance. Not surprisingly, they are a popular gift for Valentine’s Day.
However, you don’t need to spend money on store-bought chocolates when homemade Italian kisses taste so much better! This homemade Baci chocolate recipe is also simple to make and requires only six ingredients including Nutella and hazelnuts.
Let me show you how easy it is to make these Italian homemade chocolates!
Mise en place
To make the most delicious and rewarding homemade chocolate, you must first prepare your hazelnuts. We need 50 grams of toasted hazelnuts. Please refer to this step-by-step tutorial on how to roast hazelnuts.
Remove the skins and place the roasted nuts on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, finely chop them to a crumb-like consistency. Set them aside to cool down to room temperature.
How to make Italian chocolate hazelnut kisses
Once the chopped hazelnuts are at room temperature, we can begin to make homemade Baci.
The first thing we are going to do is line a small pan with parchment paper. Set it aside for now.
Let’s begin by melting 10 grams of butter with 50 grams of milk chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. You can use a microwave or a double boiler.
Stir until this mixture is completely smooth.
Add 50 grams of chopped toasted hazelnuts, 50 grams of chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella®) and 1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir together until all the ingredients are properly combined.
Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator for 2-3 minutes for it to just begin to harden.
With the help of a small ice cream scooper, portion 12 balls of chocolate, approximately 1-inch in diameter and place them on the parchment-lined pan. As an optional step, you may decide to roll each Baci ball in order to obtain a smoother surface.
Gently press a whole skinless hazelnut into the top of each chocolate Baci ball.
Transfer the chocolate balls to the refrigerator for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, place 100 grams of dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl, over a pot of hot, barely simmering water.
Once the chocolate is almost melted, remove the pan from the heat and whisk the chocolate until completely melted. Leave the bowl in place, over the pot of hot water.
One by one roll each ball in the melted chocolate. With the help of two forks, return the chocolate-covered balls to the parchment-lined baking sheet to allow the chocolate to set.
And now for the taste test! According to some members of my family, they were better than the original!
Tips
- Toasting the hazelnuts brings out their flavor.
- Removing the skins of the hazelnuts ensures no bitter aftertaste.
- With at least 85% cocoa, high-quality chocolate discs provide the best tasting and looking homemade Baci candy.
- Wearing plastic gloves is a great idea if you decide to roll the chocolate balls in order to obtain a smoother surface, as it can get a little messy.
- If you have leftover dark chocolate, make chocolate bark by adding seeds, chopped nuts or dried fruit.
Can I use chocolate chips in this recipe?
Although you can melt chocolate chips and combine them with the toasted hazelnuts, it is not recommended to use them for the chocolate coating as they are designed to hold their shape and the results will not be great.
Can I make vegan Baci chocolate?
Yes, here’s how; replace the milk chocolate with vegan dark chocolate; use this vegan chocolate hazelnut butter to replace a commercial product and replace the 10 grams of butter with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. The rest of the ingredients remain the same.
More chocolate confections
Are you looking for more easy chocolate treats? Try out this recipe for chocolate fudge or this nutty chocolate bark. If you like the combination of almonds and chocolate, be sure to try these chocolate almonds as well as these almond clusters. If you are a biscotti lover, you must try these hazelnut biscotti. One final suggestion is this recipe for chocolate espresso beans. All of these homemade sweet treats also make great hostess gifts any time of the year!
Recipe origins
A few years ago, I wanted to make homemade chocolates for Valentine’s Day for my family and friends. My goal was to replicate Italy’s infamous Baci Perugina chocolates, one of my favorite chocolates.
A colleague of mine, Tony, shared his favorite recipe for these decadent confections.
My whole family fell in love with this Baci chocolate recipe.
Although they are a little messy to make, the end result is amazing!
Treat yourself and your loved ones for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion.
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
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Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this homemade chocolate Baci recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Homemade Italian Kisses: Baci Chocolates
Ingredients
- 50 grams milk chocolate
- 10 grams butter
- 50 grams toasted and blanched hazelnuts chopped, toasted and skinless
- 50 grams chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder unsweetened
- 12 whole hazelnuts skinless
- 100 grams dark chocolate
Instructions
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a small heatproof bowl, melt the milk chocolate with butter in the microwave or on top of a double boiler.
- Remove from heat and add the chopped hazelnuts, Nutella and cocoa powder.
- Stir together until all the ingredients are properly combined.
- Transfer to the refrigerator for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture begins to harden.
- With the help of a small ice cream scooper, portion 12 balls of chocolate, approximately 1-inch in diameter and place them on the parchment-lined pan.
- Gently press a whole hazelnut into the top of each chocolate Baci ball.
- Transfer the Baci balls to the refrigerator for 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl, over a pot of hot, barely simmering water.
- Once the chocolate is almost melted, remove the pan from the heat and whisk the chocolate until completely melted. Leave the bowl in place, over the pot of hot water.
- Dip the chocolate balls in chocolate.
- Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet and allow for chocolate to dry.
- Enjoy.
Notes
- Toasting the hazelnuts brings out their flavor.
- Removing the skins of the hazelnuts ensures no bitter aftertaste.
- With at least 85% cocoa, high-quality chocolate discs provide the best tasting and looking homemade Baci candy.
- Wearing plastic gloves is a great idea if you decide to roll the chocolate balls in order to obtain a smoother surface, as it can get a little messy.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on January 29, 2015, and republished on February 11, 2022, with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing!
Sandie 2
How wonderful Maria, year’s ago we used to get Baci’s from an occasional Italian visitor to our company, wrapped in silver foil.
I will definitely be making these, thank you so much for the recipe.😋
Maria
My pleasure Sandie! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Sandy
I have made these and every single person who tried absolutely loved them! My question is, how long would you think they can last? Thinking of gifting some for Christmas.
Maria
How wonderful Sandy, thanks for sharing. To be honest, they never last that long 🙂 I would say a few days -I would place them in an airtight container and refrigerate them. The next time I make them I will experiment with freezing them.
Ur pal val
This looks amazing, I have pinned to try. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Maria
They are a little messy to make but so so good! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Emily | OatandSesame
I love these treats! Hazelnut and chocolate is my weakness!
Maria
Mine too ♥ Enjoy! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂