Florentines Recipe

Florentine lace almond cookies recipe featured image

Deliciously crisp and lacy with a nutty caramel flavor, Florentine cookies are a beautiful addition to a Christmas cookie tray or perfect any time you want a special cookie.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Florentine Almond Cookies, Florentine Biscuits, Florentine Cookies, Florentine Lace Cookies, Florentines, Florentines Recipe, Lace Cookies

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 1 30

Cool Time: 30

Servings servings

Calories 49kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups blanched slivered almonds
1/2 cup pecans or use more sliced blanched almonds
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Water as necessary to “save” the batter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate or any type of chocolate you like (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking trays with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Chop the nuts. Add the almonds and pecans to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pasty. (TIP: Don't over-process the nuts. You want them finely chopped and a little powdery, but don't go too far or you'll end up with nut butter!)
Make the batter. Stir together the finely chopped nuts, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside for now.
Add the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Once it comes to a rolling boil, let it boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the liquid sugar mixture into the dry almond mixture and stir just to combine.
Cool and then add water if necessary. Set aside until the batter is cool enough to handle. (TIP: At this point, you will likely need to add boiling water so the batter takes on a “Cream of Wheat consistency”. The amount of water needed will vary, so you have to use a bit of finesse; see the photos in the post above for guidance.)
Scoop and roll the batter. Use a 1/2-teaspoon scoop to measure out the batter. Roll each into a ball and flatten it slightly. Arrange the flattened batter balls on the prepared baking sheets. (TIP: 11 cookies on each half sheet pan works well to avoid overcrowding.)
Bake and cool. Bake the cookies 1 tray at a time until they’re thin and golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the tray after 5 minutes. Once the cookies are out of the oven, let them cool completely before using a thin metal spatula to remove them. Continue cooking the batter this way until all the cookies are baked.
Sandwich the cookies together with chocolate (optional). When the cookies are cooled, melt the chocolate. Sandwich 2 cookies together with a thin smear of chocolate in the center. (TIP: Don’t use too much chocolate or it will ooze out of the holes in the cookies.) Alternatively, you can drizzle a little chocolate on the tops. Let the chocolate set completely before serving or storing these cookies.

Notes

Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 65 sandwich cookies. Each cookie is about 2 to 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Nutrition information is given for each cookie sandwich, including the chocolate.
Recipe Inspiration: Recipe adapted from the Food Network's recipe for Florentines.

Storage:

Let the chocolate set completely, and then arrange the cookies in single layers separated with pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container. You can store them at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer.

Room temperature: Up to 3 days.
Fridge: About 3 weeks.
Freezer: Up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

Nutrition