Thanks to the recommendation of a fellow blogger who lives in the area, we happened upon this somewhat familiar “American” food establishment with a Balinese twist. Oh man was it delicious. And the coffee! When you haven’t had good coffee for 10 days + and then someone puts a proper capp in front of your face, you could just die. Just literally die. Don’t even get me started on the tacos… Another reason I loved this place? They had BACIO (chocolate-hazelnut) gelato that was rich and chocolaty and intense with hazelnut flavor thanks tiny bits of hazelnut blended right into every bite. It was intense. Ever since I slurped down that bacio gelato cone I could NOT shake the idea of making chocolate-hazelnut cookies from my mind. And so to the kitchen I went to test. After one raw batch and one baked, I heavily preferred the no-bakes. I mean, 4 ingredients, no butter or sugar or baking, AND they tasted better? It was kind of a no-brainer. These cookies require just 1 bowl, 5 minutes and 4 ingredients, meaning they fit ALL THREE requirements for the recipes on this blog. A trifecta of simplicity, if you will. But that doesn’t mean they skimp on flavor or texture one bit. The dates provide ample sweetness and fudginess.The cocoa powder gives them that slightly bitter chocolate taste.The hazelnuts add that essential nuttiness & “bacio” profile.And semisweet chocolate chips add yet another layer of chocolate decadence. This humble cookie is kind of my bliss. Now, if I could only get back to Sea Circus sometime for another scoop of bacio gelato, then my bliss tank would be all the way full. Until then, let them eat bacio cake cookies!
