These beautiful lacey cookies are so pretty they would make a perfect gift. I ended up using them to sandwich the ultra tempting Pistachio Banana Nice Cream in The Weekend Table, my favourite book of all time.
You can make these vegan by subbing out the butter for a non dairy butter replacement, we think Nuttlex is pretty good with flavour and bake-aility!
Florentine cookies, or course are often associated with the city of Florence in Italy, and have a rich history dating back to the Renaissance era. These delicate, lace-like cookies are believed to have been inspired by a dessert called 'brutti ma buoni,' which means 'ugly but good,' in reference to their rough (I would say rustic) appearance. Over time, Florentine cookies evolved into the elegant, almond and caramelized sugar cookie we enjoy today. Almost always involving chocolate as a drizzle or spread completely on one side, they also often are full of nuts and candied fruits, and generally include a citrus peel of some sort.
We love them as cookies, though they don't last long as they are so delicate, but they are really great also as suggested, as an ice cream sandwich holder...go ahead. Try them!
We have a couple of other Florentinian recipes on this site...not all of them cookie related! Those Italians hey?? They just get food don't they?
White Chocolate & Cherry Florentines
Eggs Florentine with Simple Hollandaise
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Need
- 100 Grams butter or Nuttlex if vegan BUY
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla bean paste BUY
- 1 Teaspoon pink salt flakes BUY
- 100 Grams raw caster sugar BUY
- 30 Grams pure maple syrup
- 1/2 Teaspoon almond extract
- 5 Drops cinnamon bark oil BUY
- 5 Drops doTERRA wild orange oil BUY
- 20 Grams cornflour or cornstarch
- 20 Grams almond meal Recipe
- 30 Grams shredded coconut BUY
- 50 Grams almonds flaked BUY
- 30 Grams shelled pistachios
- 20 Grams dried cranberries (craisins) or raisins or currants
- chocolate dark, melted as needed to drizzle BUY
Do
- 1
Preheat oven to 160°C/320°C and line a baking tray with paper. Butter 4 ring moulds of the same size (with no base) and place onto the tray.
- 2
Place butter, vanilla, salt, sugar, maple syrup, almond extract, and essential oils into the Thermomix bowl and melt 6 min/Varoma/speed 1/MC off. Cool slightly.
- 3
Add cornflour, almond meal and coconut and mix 10 sec/speed 3.
- 4
Add almonds, pistachios and craisins and mix 3 sec/speed 3. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.
- 5
Roll the mixture into small balls, the size of a walnut. Refrigerate.
- 6
Cook 4 at a time by placing the chilled balls into the prepared rings. Press down to flatten slightly. Cook about 6-8 minutes or until well spread and golden. If you want a more rustic look, you don’t need to use the rings.
- 7
Cool on a cooling rack.
- 8
Pipe or drizzle the melted chocolate across the tops of the florentines. Allow to set.
- 9
Use as sandwich cookies as directed or just store in an airtight container in the fridge until use.
