Chocolate Florentine Cookies, also known as Italian Top Cookies, are nutty, toffee-flavored cookies with a crunchy texture. We stuff ours with a thin layer of chocolate. Perfect with coffee or tea!
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There are a number of cookies that I try not to make too often. This is not because they are difficult or time consuming, but because they are used up far too quickly in our household!
Florentines are not only one of our own favorites, but also the favorites of many of my friends. And as long as I have a purpose and friends to give it to, I’m happy to get in the kitchen to bake.
Chocolate Florentine Cookies: Tips for Success
These cookies have a reputation for being finicky and difficult to make, but I’ve come up with a few tips and tricks to make creating them easier:
- When you melt the butter and sugar to make the cookie “dough,” you really just have to melt them together. It doesn’t need to be brought to a boil or brought to a specific temperature. Baking the cookies in the oven brings them to their crisp, brittle state.
- Florentines tend to bunch up in the center and bake unevenly if you don’t spread them out. Dip your finger in water and spread the batter into a round circle, with the nuts in a single layer on the pan. (The dough can be sticky, so dipping your fingers in water first helps with this step.)
- If you have a silicone baking mat (like Silpat), this is the perfect recipe for it. The silicone mat insulates the florentines and helps them bake more evenly. But don’t worry if you don’t have one. Just bake it on parchment paper and keep track of it. They tend to cook a little faster on the parchment and can go from golden brown to burnt quickly.
- Once you’ve baked them, fix any wonky florentines that aren’t perfect circles. You can do this by gently pushing them into a round shape with a spatula. They’ll solidify quickly as they cool, so work fast!
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Also, be warned that you – and your kitchen – are likely to get a little messy with the melted chocolate. It’s inevitable! I highly recommend wearing either an apron or old clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
In the end, these cookies are worth the effort! Almond slivers crunch in your mouth between toffee caramel bits and dark chocolate. It’s almost like candy in the form of a cookie.
That’s why they disappear so quickly in our house. And why I always need a friend to pass them on to.
Where do Florentine biscuits come from?
As with many recipes, it is difficult to know the true origin of Florentine biscuits. These cookies are hundreds of years old but are very different from baked goods typically found in Florence, Italy. It is also believed that French royal chefs may have made them in honor of visiting relatives of Catherine de Medici, who was from Florence. Whether they’re from Italy, France, or your own kitchen, they’re still delicious.
Other nuts for use in Florentines
Traditional Florentines call for almonds, and they’re certainly what people expect when they reach for the biscuit. However, you can switch nuts if you like – just be sure to cut the nut you use into consistent sizes. Experiment with these nuts.
- peanuts
- hazelnuts
- pistachios
- pecans
More Italian desserts to try!
- apple crostata
- zabaglione
- Classic Tiramisu
- amaretto biscuits
- Ginger Almond Biscotti
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Florentine chocolate chip cookies
Florentine biscuits are crunchy almond toffee-like biscuits that are topped with a layer of chocolate and then drizzled with more chocolate. They have a reputation for being difficult to make, but I’ve provided some hints and tips on how to make them easier for you. Just make sure to watch them cook as they can go from done to burned pretty quickly.
Baking these cookies will be quicker if you have at least two baking sheets so you can prep the next batch while the previous batch is in the oven.
ingredients
For the cookies:
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2 1/2 cups (290G) slivers of almonds
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1/4 cup (35G) all purpose flour
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2 tablespoon Naturally cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
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1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional but recommended)
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3/4 cup (150G) sugar
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1/2 cup (1 stick or 115G) unsalted butter
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1/4 Cup heavy cream
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2 tablespoon honey
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
End:
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8 to 10 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
method
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chop almonds:
Place the flaked almonds in a food processor. Pulse until almonds are broken up into smaller pieces, about 1/4 inch in size. They should be the size of chopped nuts that you would sprinkle over a sundae.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the nuts by hand or place them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a wooden rolling pin until they’re the right size.
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Place the flour and cocoa powder in the bowl of the food processor:
Pulse a few times to blend.
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Make the cookie “dough” on the stovetop:
Place the sugar, butter, cream and honey in a medium saucepan. Heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Add the dry almond mixture and stir until incorporated. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
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Preheat the oven:
While the “dough” cools, preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
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Scoop out cookies:
Once the batter has cooled (it will still be warm), use a teaspoon to scoop the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet (1 teaspoon per cookie). Space the cookies about 3 inches apart; they spread a lot during baking. (On a 12″ x 18″ sheet, I found 6 cookies fit comfortably.)
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Flatten Cookies:
Dip your finger in some water, then spread the batter into a round circle with the nuts in a single layer on the pan. This will spread the dough evenly around the circle.
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Bake cookies:
Bake the cookies in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. If you use parchment paper, the cookies will bake faster. If you use a silicone baking sheet, the silicone insulates the heat and they take a little longer to bake (but they bake more evenly).
Remove the pan from the oven once the edges of the cookies start to darken and brown and place on a cooling rack. Be careful as the cookies will go from done to burned fairly quickly.
While the cookies are still warm from the oven, take a look to see if any of them aren’t quite round. If they aren’t shaped as nicely as you’d like, use a spatula to gently push the sides of the cookie into a round circle. You’ll need to work fairly quickly as the cookies will set as they cool.
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Cool cookies:
Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 to 20 minutes until set. It’s okay if they’re still a bit soft, but they should transfer in one piece without tearing or creating waves in the cookie.
It helps to use a very thin, flat spatula so you can easily slide under each cookie. If you have a criss-cross wire rack, that’s also great for cookies like these, since any underbaked cookie will sag a little on wire racks that are further apart. Let the cookies cool completely.
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Continue baking in batches:
Repeat steps 5 through 8 until all of the batter is used.
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Sandwich the cookies with chocolate:
Once all of the cookies have baked and cooled, melt dark chocolate by placing in a microwave-safe bowl and cooking in 30-second increments, stirring between each step. (You can also melt the chocolate in a water bath if you prefer.)
Once the chocolate has melted, take two cookies of roughly the same size and spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom of one of them. Place the matching biscuit base on top and place the biscuit sandwich on a parchment-lined baking sheet or wire rack.
Repeat with the remaining cookies. Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the Florentines.
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Wait for the chocolate to set and set before serving or wrapping:
Stored in an airtight container, these cookies will keep at room temperature for 3 days, or in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 173 | calories |
| 12g | Fat |
| 15g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
