Florentines (Italy)

From Food Network Kitchens

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (48)

Cook Time:
20 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
5 dozen 3-inch Florentines, or 2 1/2 dozen 6-inch Florentine

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 45 min
Cook: 20 min
Total:: 1 hr 35 min

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Ingredients

1 3/4 cups sliced, blanched almonds (about 5 ounces)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping, optional:

2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.

Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.

Optional chocolate topping:

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 to 2 minutes more.)

For sandwiches: Drop about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate onto on the flat side of half of the cookies and press together with remaining halves. Return to rack and let chocolate set.

For chocolate decor: Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.

Busy baker's tips: Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Florentines are best stored separated from moist cookies and cakes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Florentines (Italy)
Courtney Newport News, VA 01-07-2009
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Love Them !!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These were excellent and such a change from ordinary cookies! Be sure not to over process your almonds because the moisture... will cause the cookies to be thick and not flatten like the picture..Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
Laura Bound Brook, NJ 01-03-2009
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Very tasty....but time consuming!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These cookies were great. They are easy to make, just very time consuming. I did flatten the cookies a little bit before... putting them in the oven, and that helped to prevent them from burning on the edges and not cooking on the inside. I also shortened the baking time a little. I baked them for 4 minutes, turned them, and then baked them for 4:30. It was almost fool proof that way and I didn't have to watch them that carefully. But be careful during the first round or so. I had a little trouble with melting the chocolate (FYI...don't even add water to chocolate....it comes out like fudge). I definitely recommend them!!! They came out delicious!Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
STEPHANIE Lawrenceville, NJ 12-28-2008
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Definitely making these again
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The sandwiched version of these cookies were outstanding. I loved flavor that the orange zest added and found that... sandwiching the cookies with chocolate, rather than drizzling them with chocolate, made for superior cookies. They were so light and had the perfect amount of crunch. Definitely use a Silpat for these cookies. I let them cool slightly on the silpat before transferring to a wire rack. I found that using a super slim spatula worked well, but so did just picking them up with my fingers. Also, I used a baby spoon to make small balls. The cookies then spread to a workable size and allowed me to have more sandwich cookies.Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
Janet` Los Angeles, CA 12-26-2008
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Delicious, but watch them closel
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made these yesterday, but made the mistake of using wax paper instead of parchment or silpat. The wax paper stuck to the... cookies, and I had to throw most of them out. While we were able to taste a few, while trying to remove the wax paper, they were delicious. I would probably reduce the orange zest to half the amount as it was a strong orange taste. I will make them again with a silpat or non stick pan.Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
lillian bayside, NY 12-24-2008
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easy and yummy
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

these cookies were easy, yummy, and a big hit! it looks like something out of a bakery! NOTE: either place cookie balls... further apart or make them smaller. 3-4 inches definitely wasn't enough room, after balling them up, they ended up melting into each other and came out as one big sheet! i ended up just breaking them into pieces like chocolate bark. still delicious though.Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
Christina Fishkill, NY 12-23-2008
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My new favorite cookie!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have to agree, these cookies were so simple to make and so easy to eat! I'd also say that before baking, my balls were... about 3/4", and I could only fit about 6 to 7 on a baking sheet, which went for slow cooking. Definitely baking them for less time helped for my size of cookie. The first batch cam out a little burnt. Also, in regards to the oval shape: Maybe you were using an older baking sheet? I found that the ones made on my new sheets were perfectly circular, while my older, warped ones turned out more oval. Delicious recipe!Read more