Mary Berry Florentine Biscuits Food

FLORENTINE BISCUITS

Steps:

• To make the biscuits, put the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until creamy. Add the flour and cinnamon, and combine with a spatula to make a soft dough. Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hr.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup and salt. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour, then stir in the cherries and almonds. Set aside to cool and firm up a little. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a 6cm fluted cookie cutter, stamp out as many circles as you can, then scrunch up the trimmings, re -roll and stamp out some more. Transfer to the baking sheet, and spoon some of the Florentine mixture onto each biscuit until it's all used up. Bake on the middle shelf for 12-15 mins until the biscuits are golden and the topping has melted. Leave to cool on the sheet for at least 15 mins.
• While the biscuits cool, melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of gently simmering water, or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir every 30 secs or so to ensure it doesn't burn. Dip each biscuit about a third of the way into the chocolate, then return to the sheet to set. You may need to spoon the chocolate over the final few. Will keep for up to four days in a sealed container.

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.

FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour then add the cherries, flaked almonds, pistachios and orange zest.
• Scoop 10 flat tbsp of the mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving room for them to spread. You will need to do these in batches. Bake for 10 mins until golden. Leave to cool for 2 mins until firm enough to lift onto a wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a simmering saucepan of water or in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Turn the florentines over on the wire rack. Spoon chocolate onto the base of each florentine and gently spread to the edges. When the chocolate is firm enough to hold its shape, use a fork to draw wavy lines across the chocolate. Leave to set and then store in an airtight container.