Florentines (Italy)

From Food Network Kitchens

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (54)

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)
Nicole Austin, TX 01-06-2010
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Very good!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

If I could follow directions, this would've been a LOT easier... I figured since I bought sliced almonds, I didnt need to... crush them. WRONG! Mine turned out very distorted, and i had to shape each cookie into a circle shape. This is a very tasty cookie, nonetheless. The only problem I had was the orange zest. WAY too much for me, and I barely used 1 tablespoon. If you dont like orange very much, I would use 1/8 teaspoon, because I can definitely taste it.Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
Martha Waterloo, IA 12-23-2009
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The Best Ever Florentin Recipe
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

After 28 years of doing the Best Catering in North East Iowa, finally I found a recipe of Florentines that is excellent, they... are crispy and easy to prepare, in my home oven I need to bake it for only 7 minutes and YES I use a silpat liner. Make the balls very small, they spread a lot and be careful when you put the tray in the oven because the balls can roll. Do not let the doug to rest for too much because get tough if this happen put your container with the dough in double boiler , until is easy to handle but not warm, Any way use only this recipe if you want to have the best Florentines ever. MarthaRead more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
Allyssa Ashland, MA 12-22-2009
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DON'T USE PARCHMENT PAPER
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

These cookies were average, similar taste to chinese fortune cookies. The work can be kind of tedious for not the best... outcome. However, different and pretty. BUT DO NOT USE PARCHMENT PAPER, I found tinfoil to be the best!!Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
Leslie Sammamish, WA 12-15-2009
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Great Cookies
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made these for my co-workers and they flew off the plate. Only thing is that I had to adjust the temperature for my oven. ... It needed to be cooler and each batch only needed to be in the oven for about 6 minutes. They were a hit though once I figured that out!Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
Joseph Santa Clarita, CA 12-10-2009
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Perfect!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was wonderul, even using the lighter calorie Light Corn Syrup. Using a silpad is a must. Each cookie came out perfect... and, using the silpad, did not break. We only used about an 8th of a teasoon of orange zest because we only wanted a hint of orange flavor. As stated previously, they need to be spaced out (3-4 inches) so they won't join together. These are definitely as good, if not better, than any I have had from a bakery. Read more
recipe Florentines (Italy)
JANE Mt. kisco, NY 11-27-2009
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EXCELLENT!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

People LOVED these cookies--I was told that they were better than the bakery! So easy to make and look wonderful to give as... a gift.Read more