Pecan Ginger And Cranberry Florentines Food

PECAN FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer or hand-held mixer on medium speed until smooth.
• Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
• Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt and beat until smooth.
• In a food processor or blender, combine the oats and pecan pieces and pulse several times to grind.
• Add this to the dough and beat until incorporated; the dough will be stiff but sticky.
• Drop the dough by the teaspoonful, about 3 inches apart, onto the prepared sheet pan.
• Flatten the dough slightly with your fingertips.
• Bake for 6 minutes until lightly golden.
• Remove from the oven, carefully remove from the sheet, and let cool completely on wire racks. Repeat the process until all the dough is used, relining the sheet each time with new parchment.

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.

PECAN, GINGER AND CRANBERRY FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180℃/170℃fan/gas mark 4 (350°F). Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with baking parchment.
• Place the butter and sugar in a small pan and heat gently until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
• Stir in the flour, cranberries, ginger and pecans and mix well.
• Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, allowing plenty of space for the biscuits to spread.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until pale golden. While the cookies are still hot use a greased circular cookie cutter to pull the edges of the cookies in to form neat circles.
• Allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheet.
• Break the chocolate into pieces and place 3/4 of it in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Stir until until melted.
• Remove from the heat and add the remaining chocolate. Stir until melted.
• Allow the chocolate to cool slightly then spread a thin layer onto the backs of the florentines and allow to set.
• Spread a second layer of chocolate over each florentine then use a fork to mark squiggles in the chocolate with a fork and allow to set.

PECAN FLORENTINES

Steps:

• 1. To pulverize pecans put them in a food processor or blender and process until thoroughly ground with a DRY not pasty texture. Then measure out 3/4 of a cup.
• 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with foil and lightly grease foil with a spray on oil.
• 3. Combine pecans and flour in a small bowl.
• 4. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and milk in a medium saucepan. Put the saucepan over medium heat and stir until mixture comes to a light boil.
• 5. Remove from heat. Add flour and pecan mixture.
• 6. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls about 3 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lacy and golden brown. Cookies will be soft when they are hot but become crisp as they cool.
• 7. I take the foil and slide it off to a flat heatproof surface to let the cookie cool completely. When cooled, peel the cookies off of the foil and set on wax paper.
• 8. Place chocolate chips in a zip top bag and place in a hot but not boiling pot of water for about 10 minutes. Being very careful not to let the bag get ANY water in it. Knead bag lightly to check that chips are completely melted.
• 9. Pat the bag dry and with scissors snip off a small hole in the corner of the bag. Squeeze melted chocolate over the cookies to decorate.
• 10. Let stand until chocolate is set.

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.

PECAN CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Cream butter or margarine, gradually adding confectioners' sugar and salt. Cream until light and fluffy.
• Stir in pecans and vanilla. Add flour gradually. Mix well. Shape dough into crescents using a teaspoon full for each crescent. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 15-30 minutes. Do not brown. Let cool slightly, then roll cookies in additional confectioners' sugar.

GINGER SCENTED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place nuts in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Toast until nuts are fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, combine sugar, salt, and ginger in a small bowl, and set aside.
• Combine honey, 2 tablespoons water, and oil in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and add roasted pecans. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl, add sugar mixture, and toss until well combined. Spread nuts in a single layer on a sheet of parchment paper to cool. These pecans may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.