If someone were to ask me “Which Christmas cookies are you having a hard time saying no to?” – well the answer would be clear: these Classic Florentines here! Since I made them for the first time, I’ve been addicted to them hardcore. Super delicious, sweet, chocolaty, fruity…. just the perfect combination!
These little Christmas cookies are my kryptonite. The combination of caramelized almonds and dried fruit with a thin layer of chocolate – it’s a Christmas dream come true! Unfortunately, these fellas are a bit too sugary for me nowadays. In the past I could have easily snacked on 3-4-5-6 of them at once, now I have to keep out of my reach and restrict myself to eat only one cookie every few days. Well… Hello, diabetes ;)
The Christmas season can be quite challenging for diabetics. There are cookies everywhere, the Advent calendars are full of chocolate, desserts here and there, mulled wine… You have to be careful if you don’t want to be on a constant sugar high. The only thing that helps here is good old rationing and holding back. Fortunately, you don’t have to give up everything – it’s the quantity of sugary stuff you eat that has to be controlled, but you can still enjoy sweets… just less ;) For this very reason, I’ve been nibbling on one of these delicious florentines here for several minutes already while writing this post – nice and slow, so I can enjoy it for a long time ;P
If you don’t have to pay much attention to the amount of sugar in cookies – go grab some more! They are all yours! But be warned – these Florentines have it all. Candied fruits, caramelized sugar, and chocolate. The full package! But that’s the reason why they are soooo delicious…
Anyway. I think Classic Florentines are the perfect Christmas cookies if you want some “fancy-er” cookies. There is nothing bad about simple Vanilla Crescents or Classic Cinnamon Stars, but Florentines are just more “festive” in my opinion. Especially if you decorate them with a nice pattern on the chocolate side. They look really nice like that, don’t you think so too? And it is so easy to make … you should definitely give it a try!
By the way – I probably (for sure) would have failed the “Great British Bake Off” technical challenge with my Florentines here because they don’t have a “snap” ;) But that’s exactly why I like them so much – I always bake them quite soft. So in case you need a Florentines recipe where the cookies crack loudly as soon as you bite into them… you have to look somewhere else. Not gonna happen here ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the Florentines:
1.4 oz. (40g) butter
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1.8 oz. (50g) candied orange peel
1.8 oz. (50g) candied lemon peel
3.5 oz. (100g) candied red cherries
5.3 oz. (150g) sliced almonds
7 oz. (200g) heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
For the decoration:
4.6 oz. (130g) semi-sweet chocolate
1 oz. (30g) white chocolate
2 tsp. coconut oil, divided
Für die Florentiner:
40g Butter
100g brauner Zucker
50g Orangeat
50g Zitronat
100g kandierte Kirschen
150g Mandeln, gehobelt
200g Sahne
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
1 1/2 EL Mehl
Für die Dekoration:
130g Zartbitterschokolade
30g weiße Schokolade
2 TL Kokosfett, aufgeteilt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the butter to a pot and melt over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, candied orange peel, lemon peel, cherries, and sliced almonds and mix well. Add the cream mixture to the pot and mix until well combined. Let the mixture simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly so nothing burns – that probably takes about 4-6 minutes. If the mix can be shaped into a little “mountain” in the pot and keeps the shape, the consistency should be fine. Remove from the stove and let cool down for a moment.
3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and place small portions of the Florentine mixture on top with some space in between. Flatten the mixture a bit and bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges got some color. Take out of the oven and pull the baking parchment off the baking sheet immediately onto your work surface and let the Florentines cool down. The cookies tend to spread a bit, but you can bring them back in shape right after baking with a knife or rubber spatula and then let them cool down. Repeat with the remaining cookie mixture.
4. Chop the dark and white chocolate coarsely and add separately to two bowls. Add 1 1/2 tsp. of the coconut oil to the dark chocolate and 1/2 tsp. to the white chocolate and melt both slowly in the microwave or over a pot with simmering water. Fill the white chocolate into a piping bag and cut off the tip so there is a small opening. Brush the completely cooled Florentines on the bottom side with the melted dark chocolate and pipe several lines with the white chocolate on top of the dark chocolate. Use a toothpick and pull in a 90° angle through the chocolate lines to create the feathering pattern as seen in the pictures. Let dry completely. Store in a cool and dry place.
2. Die Butter in einen Topf geben und bei mittlerer Hitzezufuhr schmelzen lassen. Braunen Zucker, Orangeat, Zitronat, Kirschen und gehobelte Mandeln dazugeben und alles gut vermischen. Die Sahne-Vanille-Mehl-Mischung zum Topf dazugeben und alles gut verrühren. Die Mischung so lange köcheln lassen, bis die Masse andickt, dabei ständig rühren, damit nichts anbrennt – dauert etwa 4-6 Minuten. Wenn man die Masse im Topf zu einem kleinen “Berg” aufschüttet, sollte sie die Form einigermaßen halten können, dann passt die Konsistenz. Vom Herd ziehen und einen Moment abkühlen lassen.
3. Den Ofen auf 200°C (390°F) vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und kleine Portionen der Florentinermasse mit etwas Abstand auf das Blech setzen und leicht flach drücken. Für etwa 12-14 Minuten backen, bis die Ränder etwas Farbe bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen holen und sofort mit dem Backpapier vom Blech ziehen und auskühlen lassen. Florentiner laufen gerne mal auseinander, wenn sie etwas aus der Form gekommen sind, kann man sie direkt nach dem Backen noch mit einem Messer oder Teigschaber zurechtschieben und dann abkühlen lassen. Mit der restlichen Florentinermasse wiederholen.
4. Die Zartbitterschokolade und weiße Schokolade grob hacken und jeweils in eine hitzebeständige Schüssel geben. Zur Zartbitterschokolade 1 1/2 TL Kokosfett dazugeben und zur weißen Schokolade 1/2 TL Kokosfett – die beiden Schokoladensorten dann entweder in der Mikrowelle oder über einem Topf mit köchelndem Wasser langsam schmelzen. Die weiße Schokolade in einen Spritzbeutel füllen und die Spitze abschneiden, damit eine sehr kleine Öffnung entsteht. Die komplett abgekühlten Florentiner auf der Unterseite mit der geschmolzenen Zartbitterschokolade einstreichen und dann mehrere Streifen der weißen Schokolade auf die noch nicht angetrocknete dunkle Schokolade aufspritzen und mit einem Zahnstocher im 90° Winkel über die Linien hin und her ziehen, damit das Muster auf den Fotos entsteht. Komplett trocknen lassen. Kühl und trocken lagern.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Classic Florentine Biscuits
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:14
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 25 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: France
Description
My favorite Christmas cookies – Classic Florentine Biscuits. So good!
Ingredients
For the Florentines:
1.4 oz. (40g) butter
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1.8 oz. (50g) candied orange peel
1.8 oz. (50g) candied lemon peel
3.5 oz. (100g) candied red cherries
5.3 oz. (150g) sliced almonds
7 oz. (200g) heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
For the decoration:
4.6 oz. (130g) semi-sweet chocolate
1 oz. (30g) white chocolate
2 tsp. coconut oil, divided
Instructions
1. Cut the candied orange peel, lemon peel, and candied cherries into small pieces and set aside. Mix the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and flour in a small bowl and set aside as well.
2. Add the butter to a pot and melt over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, candied orange peel, lemon peel, cherries, and sliced almonds and mix well. Add the cream mixture to the pot and mix until well combined. Let the mixture simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly so nothing burns – that probably takes about 4-6 minutes. If the mix can be shaped into a little “mountain” in the pot and keeps the shape, the consistency should be fine. Remove from the stove and let cool down for a moment.
3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and place small portions of the Florentine mixture on top with some space in between. Flatten the mixture a bit and bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges got some color. Take out of the oven and pull the baking parchment off the baking sheet immediately onto your work surface and let the Florentines cool down. The cookies tend to spread a bit, but you can bring them back in shape right after baking with a knife or rubber spatula and then let them cool down. Repeat with the remaining cookie mixture.
4. Chop the dark and white chocolate coarsely and add separately to two bowls. Add 1 1/2 tsp. of the coconut oil to the dark chocolate and 1/2 tsp. to the white chocolate and melt both slowly in the microwave or over a pot with simmering water. Fill the white chocolate into a piping bag and cut off the tip so there is a small opening. Brush the completely cooled Florentines on the bottom side with the melted dark chocolate and pipe several lines with the white chocolate on top of the dark chocolate. Use a toothpick and pull in a 90° angle through the chocolate lines to create the feathering pattern as seen in the pictures. Let dry completely. Store in a cool and dry place.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
