Florentine Cookie Bars Food

LACE COOKIES (FLORENTINE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
• Place almonds into the bowl of a food processor; alternate pulsing and running at full speed every few seconds until finely chopped and crumblike. Be careful not to go too far; you don't want them too fine and pasty.
• Combine butter, brown sugar, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir a few times and cook until melted and dissolved. Bring to a boil, then carefully remove from the heat.
• Add vanilla extract, salt, and flour, and whisk until smooth. Add chopped almonds and mix with a spatula until everything is combined.
• Drop eight uniformly sized, rounded spoonfuls of batter (each about 2 teaspoons, or 15 grams) onto the prepared sheet. Fine-tune the cookie shapes and make sure they are evenly spaced.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until golden brown and a bit darker around the outsides, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
• Remove from the oven and slide the silicone liner off the baking sheet and directly onto the countertop. Allow to sit until cool and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes, then gently peel cookies off the liner. Repeat to bake remaining batches.
• Spread melted chocolate over the flat side of one cookie. Place a second cookie, flat-side down, on top to make a sandwich and press very gently to seal. Repeat to form remaining cookies. Let sit until chocolate has firmed up, about 30 minutes.

NUTTY FLORENTINE BARS

Steps:

• Start with the base. Line a 20cm square tin with some baking parchment. Put 200g of the butter and 100g of the sugar in a food processor and whizz until smooth. Add the almond extract, flour and ground rice, and pulse until the mixture comes together. Press the mixture into the base of your tin, flattening the surface as much as possible. Chill for at least 30 mins, or for up to 2 days.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel off the cling film, prick the base a few times with the prongs of a fork. Bake for 25 mins.
• Meanwhile, put the remaining 25g butter, 75g sugar and 1 tbsp flour in a small pan. Heat gently, stirring, until the butter and sugar have melted. Stir in the cream until smooth, then the nuts, glacé and dried cherries.
• When the base has baked, dot the hot nut mixture all over the top and gently spread with the back of a spoon. Return to oven and bake for another 10-20 mins until the top is golden - check every 5 mins. Cool to room temperature, then melt the dark chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl over, but not touching, a pan of hot water. Drizzle the chocolate all over the top, and leave to set solid before removing and cutting into thin bars.

FLORENTINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and mix in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Drop by level teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Spread cookies out thin with a rubber spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets.
• Meanwhile, place chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Peel foil from cookies. Spread melted chocolate on 1/2 of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies.

FLORENTINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine honey, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the temperature reaches 238 degrees (the soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine nuts, dried fruit, flour, and spices.
• Pour honey-sugar mixture over contents in large bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. When cool enough to handle, form into 1-inch balls with hands coated with vegetable shortening to prevent sticking. Place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper, and flatten into balls with the palm of your hand. Bake until bubbled on top, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate: In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stir chocolate with a spatula until smooth. Working quickly, using a small offset spatula, spread a thick layer of chocolate on the back of each cooled cookie. Place cookies, chocolate side up, on a wire rack until chocolate is hardened. Store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container.

FLORENTINES (ITALY)

Steps:

• 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.

FLORENTINE COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle., Roll dough into an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned., Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cream, butter and honey. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 246° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in the almonds, cherries and currants. Spread evenly into crust., Bake for 18-22 minutes or just until filling is set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight., Remove florentine from pan. With a sharp knife, trim edges of crust; discard the trim. Cut lengthwise into six strips; cut each strip into 16 triangles., In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip the short side of each triangle into candy coating; place on waxed paper. Drizzle with additional candy coating. Let stand until set. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the almonds, flour and zest in a medium bowl. Stir the sugar, butter, cream, and honey in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the almond mixture. Cool the batter for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using 2 teaspoons of batter for each cookie, spoon 8 mounds of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly apart (the cookies will spread). Flatten the batter slightly with your finger.
• Bake the cookies until they are lacy and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Gently slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a rack and cool completely. Transfer the cookies to paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter, lining the baking sheets with clean parchment for each batch. (The cookies can be made up to this point 2 months ahead. Cool completely, then store airtight in the freezer. Defrost before continuing.)
• Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Spread the melted chocolate over the bottom of 1 cookie. Top with a second cookie, bottom side down, pressing lightly to adhere. Repeat with the remaining cookies and chocolate.

FLORENTINE COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
• Roll dough into an ungreased 15-in.x10 in.x1 inches baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cream, butter, and honey. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 246 degrees( firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in the almonds, cherries and currants. Spread evenly into crust.
• Bake for 18-22 minutes or just until filling is set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight.
• Remove florentine from pan. With a sharp knife, trim edges of crust; discard the trim.Cut lengthwise into six strips;cut each strip into 16 triangles.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip the short side of each triangle into candy coating; place on wax paper. Drizzle with additional candy coating. Let stand until set. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

FLORENTINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F, and have 2 silicone liners on baking sheets ready. You can also use parchment paper. Gather and pre-chop all ingredients.
• Add the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a small saucepan.
• Turn the heat to low, and stir frequently just until the butter melts. Do not let it bubble or boil, and do not worry if the sugar doesn't dissolve fully-we just need to melt the butter in this step.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, and then add the flour, chopped candied fruit and nuts. Stir to combine.
• Once the mixture is very well-mixed, scoop out heaping teaspoons (or a flat level tablespoon) onto the sheet pan, spacing the cookies fairly wide apart. I only bake 6 cookies on a baking sheet at a time. Press the cookies flat so they bake evenly.
• Slide the cookies into the oven, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until they're golden brown and bubbling. Pull the cookies out of the oven when they're golden brown and bubbling, EVEN IF THEY APPEAR SOFT AND MELTY.
• Let the cookies cool on the pan until they firm up enough to be moved with a spatula to a cooling rack. While the cookies are still warm and pliable, you can use a spatula to push the edges gently to make the cookie perfectly round around the edges. Repeat with all remaining cookie batter.
• Once the cookies are completely cool, it's time to brush the bottoms with chocolate: combine the chocolate and coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl.
• Melt the chocolate and coconut oil on 50% power in the microwave in 30 seconds pulses, or use a double boiler. Use a silicone pastry brush to brush the chocolate on the underside of the cookies. Let the chocolate harden and then serve.

FLORENTINE COOKIES-TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Mix all together with a food processor butter, Sugar, Salt, Vanilla and Egg.
• Add flour and baking powder and form the dough (if necessary add 1-2 tablespoon flour).
• Roll out the dough between 2 baking foils the dough to the size of 25 to 40 cm (10 to 15 inches). Remove the upper foil.
• Boil butter, sugar and water and add the almonds (both kind)and the fruits and the spices). Cool down.
• In the meanwhile spread the jam on the dough.
• Top with the almond-fuit mix.
• Bake 20 minutes at 180°C (350°F). Heat and timing are basing it on convection oven.
• Remove from the oven and cut to squares of 4-6cm (about 2 inches) and half the squares diagonally.
• Tip: Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave and dip one point of each triangle. Let dry on baking foil.