Pecan Florentine Recipes

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 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 FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Line cookie sheet with foil. Grease cookie sheet and set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, melted butter or margarine, molasses and milk. Stir in the ground pecans or walnuts and flour.
• Drop level teaspoons of batter 5-inches apart onto a prepared baking sheet. (Bake only 3-5 cookies at a time). Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 5-6 minutes, or till bubbly and deep golden brown. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, or till set. Quickly remove cookies from pan and cool on a rack. Repeat to bake remaining cookies.
• In a small heavy saucepan, melt chocolate or white baking bar over low heat. Drizzle over cookies.

PECAN LACE COOKIES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Toss together the flour and pecans and stir into the boiling mixture. Bring the mixture to a second boil before removing from heat. Drop by spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be at least 4 inches apart to allow for spreading.
• Bake for 5 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until evenly brown. If molding the cookies into shapes, allow to cool for a minute, until cool enough to handle, but still really hot.

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.