Trader Giotto's Baci di Dama Cookies

We've entered the best time of year at TJ's. The holiday items are finally in, and most of the pumpkin spice garbage is gone until next fall. Which means loads and loads of sweets. Mostly not that appealing to me, but every now and then you have to take a chance! 

Never heard of Baci di Dama cookies. Originally from Northwest Italy and apparently means "lady's kiss." The shape of the cookies is supposed to resemble lips giving a kiss. That would make "hazelnut kisses bound by chocolate" a pun that I just ruined. 

By the way, this package is $0.99 and is about the length of an iPhone 6. 

No artificial ingredients here! Not really! And with wheat flour. Hmm..interesting.

It's a good thing they don't come in giant tubs, because I would not be able to stop myself. I should be thanking TJ's for the built-in portion control because 3 cookies equates to 190 calories and 11g fat. But what were they thinking - only THREE COOKIES in a package?? Why is this not available year round??**

They are smaller but taller than macarons. Frankly, I like these better than macarons. They smell strongly of good shortbread, and the taste does not disappoint. Apart from the color, I would not have been able to guess that these were made from wheat flour. It has the perfect shortbread texture -buttery but not too dry or crumbly. Not overly sweet. I wouldn't reject additional hazelnut filling, but I'd wager this is true to the original cookie, which probably means it's not supposed to be slathered in nutella. And let's be clear- this is not a manufactured Nutella filling.  It tastes like someone's grandma took the time to melt the chocolate and blend it with freshly ground hazelnuts. With her bare arthritic hands. Maybe. Would pair very well with coffee or tea, but I enjoyed these dainty little cookies during my break. In a corner by myself.  In a blissful state. 

You could fly over to Italy. You could go through the trouble by doing it yourself. Or you could surrender $1. Bougie food for lazy people. Yes. 

Sharing these would be an exercise in loving your neighbor. If someone shares one with you, take it as a sign of love because these darling cookies make self-control and sharing rather difficult. :P 

TL;DR: Trader Giotto's Baci di Dama Cookies. Indulgent Italian shortbread kisses of hazelnut goodness. I can't even. 9 out of 10. 

**edit: these cookies are available year-round in the cookie section.**