Parlapà Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti Cookies

Quick language lesson: in the dialect of the Piedmont region of northern Italy the word “parlapà” translates to “wow,” which is what people say after one bite of this crisp yet ethereal cookie. Pretty good marketing, too.

This is the first time these cookies have been sold in the States so you can feel like a true food adventurer when you take your first bite. I had the pleasure to meet the two generations of the women making these cookies when I visited the region recently. I fell for the cookies as much as I did the makers.

The cookies are made at Briccodolce, a cafe & pastry shop that’s been working for three generations on the Baroque streets of Torino in northern Italy. Each chocolate cookie is a couple inches long and shaped like a triangular baton. The outside is crisp, but the interior is airy and light so it almost feels like it melts away as you chew, leaving behind the haunting flavor of chocolate and compelling you to take another bite. It feels indulgent. The perfect companion to coffee or tea any time of day. Individually wrapped for better impulse control. And the tin is so pretty it requires no wrapping.