Cookie Florentine Squares Recipes

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 (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 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.

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.

VEGAN FLORENTINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F (190ºC) and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Heat the butter, sugar, and agave nectar together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat once the butter has completely melted, and vigorously whisk in the flour, almond meal, oatmeal, and salt to avoid clumps.
• Drop about ½ teaspoon of batter per cookie onto your prepared baking sheets. Take care to place them several inches apart, as they spread like crazy. Bake the crisps for 5 to 6 minutes, until they are caramelized and bubbly, keeping a close eye on them the entire time they're in the oven. They will still be soft and malleable at first; wait a few minutes for the crisps to cool and solidify before handling. They are very fragile after they harden, so be gentle!
• If desired, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring thoroughly until completely melted and smooth. Smear a thin layer of the melted chocolate on the underside of one cookie, sandwiching it between a second. Alternatively, drizzle the chocolate all over the individual crisps, Jackson Pollak-style.
• Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Heat and moisture will change their texture, so the crisps may remain slightly soft if you are baking in a very humid climate.

FLORENTINE SQUARES

Steps:

• Adjust rack to lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-x-15 1/2-x-1/2-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang at each short end.
• Batter: Pour the cream, corn syrup, and sugar into a 1 1/2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir to combine, then add the butter. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Then raise the heat to medium, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon--especially toward the end of cooking--to prevent scorching. Cook until the mixture reaches 238 degrees F, the soft-ball stage, on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes; the mixture will appear between ivory- and straw-colored. Remove from heat, and stir in almonds.
• Pour the mixture onto the center of the foil-lined baking sheet, and spread it in as thin a layer as possible. A pool about 8 inches in diameter is fine. Bake for 3 minutes; then spread the more liquid mixture evenly over the baking sheet. If the mixture still does not completely cover the baking sheet, bake another minute, then tilt the baking sheet to allow the mixture to spread evenly. Bake for about 5 to 6 minutes total, or until golden but not dark brown. Though the mixture bubbles while baking, the bubbles form more slowly toward the end of baking time than at the beginning.
• Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes. While the mixture is still warm but no longer liquid, cut 1 1/2-inch squares using a ruler and a pastry wheel. If the mixture is too warm, it will not cut cleanly. If it is too cool, it will splinter or not cut; in that case return it to the oven for a few seconds to soften it a bit.
• Decoration: When the squares are completely cool, place the chocolate in a bowl over water at about 120 degrees F. When about two-thirds of the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the water. With a dry rubber spatula, stir until the liquid chocolate melts the soft or unmelted chocolate that remains. Fill a small handmade paper cone with the chocolate and snip off the tip. Pipe thin lines of chocolate back and forth over the squares' surface. Refrigerate the squares briefly, just to set the chocolate. Remove from the refrigerator and set aside in a cool, dry place.
• To store, remove squares from the foil and place them in layers, separated by strips of aluminum, in an airtight metal or plastic container in a cool place up to 1 week.

COOKIE: FLORENTINE SQUARES

Steps:

• 1. Adjust rack to lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lined a 12 x 15-1/2 x ½ baking sheet with foil, leaving a 2 inch over hang @ each end. 2. Pour cream, corn syrup, and sugar into heavy saucepan. Stir to combine, then add butter. Stir over med-low heat until butter melts. Then raise heat to medium, and stire constantly with wooden spoon-especially toward the end of cooking to prevent scorching. Cook mixture until register 238 degrees on candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir almonds. 3. Pour mixture onto center of baking sheet and spread it in as thin a layer as possible. A pool about 8 inches in diameter is fine. Bake for 3 minutes; then spread the more liquid mixture evenly over the baking sheet. If the mixture still does not completely cover the sheet, bake another minute then tilt the sheet to allow the mixture to spread evenly. Bake for about 5-6 minutes total or until golden but not dark brown. 4. Place baking sheet on wire rack and cool for 2-3 minutes. While mixture is still warm, but no longer liquid, cut 1-1/2 squares using a ruler and pastry wheel. If mixture is too warm, it will not cut cleanly. If mixture too cool, it will splinter or not cut; in that case return to oven for few seconds to soften it a bit. 5. After cutting, drizzle with chocolate. Remove squares from foil and store them in air tight metal container @ room temperature up to 1 week.