Florentines with Chocolate Bottoms

Before you start

Florentines are thin, brittle cookies made by binding sliced almonds and candied peel with a butter, sugar, honey and cream caramel. There is only a spoonful of flour, so the mixture melts and spreads in the oven into a lacy disk. A layer of dark chocolate on the flat side adds bitterness and makes them sturdier to hold.

The main judgments are how far apart to space them and when to take them out. Each heaping teaspoon spreads to about 7 cm, so crowding the sheet fuses them into one sheet of brittle. Bake until the caramel is evenly deep amber, not just golden at the edges, or the centers stay sticky. If they spread unevenly, nudge them into rounds with a lightly oiled cookie cutter while they are still warm and soft.

Ingredients

• Florentines60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 30 g (1½ tbsp) honey
• 60 ml (¼ cup) heavy cream
• 150 g (1½ cups) sliced almonds
• 40 g (¼ cup) candied orange peel — finely chopped
• 20 g (2½ tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• Pinch fine salt
• Coating150 g (5 oz) dark chocolate (60 to 70%) — finely chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, honey and cream in the saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, then bring to a full boil and cook for 1 minute without stirring.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the almonds, candied peel, flour, zest and salt until every almond slice is coated. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes so it thickens slightly.
4. Drop heaping teaspoons of the mixture onto the sheets, no more than six per sheet, at least 8 cm (3 in) apart. Flatten each mound with a damp finger so the almonds lie in a single layer.
5. Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the cookies have spread into lacy disks and are evenly amber from edge to center.
6. Let them rest on the sheet for 2 minutes. If any are misshapen, pull the edges back into a round with the cutter while still soft. Once firm, lift them with a thin spatula to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
7. Melt two-thirds of the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave or over barely simmering water, stirring often. Off the heat, stir in the remaining chocolate until smooth; this helps it set with a better snap.
8. Spread a thin layer of chocolate over the flat underside of each florentine with the offset spatula. Drag a fork through it for wavy lines if you like. Set them chocolate side up until firm, about 30 minutes at cool room temperature or 10 minutes in the fridge.

Tips for success

• Bake one test cookie first. If it spreads too much, stir another teaspoon of flour into the mixture; if it stays thick, flatten the mounds more.
• If the mixture firms up in the pan before you finish portioning, warm it over low heat for a few seconds.
• For neater rounds, bake the mixture in a buttered silicone mold or a nonstick muffin top pan.

Substitutions

Candied orange peel

Use chopped dried cherries or cranberries. They are chewier and less bitter, and they can scorch at the edges if left exposed, so press them into the almond layer.

Honey

Golden syrup or light corn syrup works one to one. The cookies taste less floral and set slightly firmer.

All-purpose flour

Use the same weight of rice flour or cornstarch for a gluten-free version. Check that the chocolate and peel are also gluten-free.

Variations

Pistachio and cherry

Replace half the almonds with chopped pistachios and the peel with chopped dried sour cherries.

Bar version

Bake a shortbread base in a 20 cm (8 in) square pan, spread the warm florentine mixture over it and bake 15 minutes more until bubbling and amber. Cut while warm.

Troubleshooting

Cookies stay chewy and sticky

They came out too soon or the caramel was not boiled for the full minute. Bake until amber throughout, and store them away from humid air.

All the cookies merged together

The mounds were too large or too close. Use level teaspoons, leave 8 cm between them and bake fewer per sheet. Cut merged ones apart with a cutter while warm.

Chocolate is streaky or soft at room temperature

The chocolate overheated and lost its temper. Melt it gently and stir in reserved chopped chocolate to cool it, or keep the finished cookies refrigerated.

Storage

Store florentines in a single layer or between sheets of parchment in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 1 week. In warm or humid weather, keep them in the refrigerator so the chocolate stays firm and the caramel stays crisp.

Safety notes

Hot caramel causes serious burns; keep children clear of the saucepan. Contains tree nuts, milk and wheat.