These Nut-Free Easy Florentine Cookies dipped in Dark Chocolate are perfect treat for your sweet tooth: chewy yet crunchy, sweet and bitter - and simply delicious! They make great original Holiday Cookies that can be enjoyed all year round.
1/3Orange Peels(the peels of about 1/3 of an orange)
10gr (1 tbsp)Plain Flour
85gr (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)Caster Sugar
45gr (3 tbsp)Thickened Cream
45gr (2 tbsp)Honey
100gr (4 oz)Dark Cooking Chocolate70% Dark Chocolate recommended
Instructions
Thinly Chop the Dried Apricots, Currants and Raisins. Place in a large heat-proof mixing bowl.
Peel about one third of an orange and chop the peels very thinly. Add the the dried fruits.
Add the Cornflakes (see note 1), Desiccated Coconut and Flour. Stir well.
Place the Cream, Caster Sugar and Honey in a small Pot. Place on a low-heat stove, stiring occasionally until smooth, glossy and liquid. The Caster Sugar should have completely disolved (see note 2).
Very carefully pour the Caramel Sauce over the Dry Mix (it will be very hot), and use a stiff spatula to mix it all together (see note 3). Keep stiring until all the dry ingredients seem to be evenly coated in caramel.
Preheat your oven on 160'C/320'F. Line a Flat Baking Tray (you will probably need 2 or 3) with baking paper.
Scoop out a little bit of the Florentine Batter and drop it on the lined Tray. Gently flatten it out into a regular round shape with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Leave space between each cookie as they will spread in the oven.
Bake for about 7 minutes or until they look golden brown (see note 4).
Take the tray out of the oven and set aside for about 1 minutes, then carefully slide the baking paper with the cookies onto a cooling rack. If need, adjust the shape of the cookies with the back of a spoon while they are still warm, then leave to cool completely.
Thinly chop the Chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl. Melt the Chocolate using a Double-Boiler ("bain-marie") until smooth and shiny. (see note 5)
Dip the cool cookie flat bottom side into the chocolate, removing any excess by rubbing it against the top edges of the bowl. Place back on the cooling rack, chocolate side up, and leave to set and dry completely.
When cool, transfer into an air-tight container, separating each level of cookies with baking paper to avoid sticking to each other. Keep at room temperature in a cool, shady spot.
Notes
I find that crushing the Cornflakes slightly helps to create even-looking florentines, but it is not essential.
You can remove from the heat when the Sugar has dissolved and you start seeing small bubbles on the edges of the pot. The caramel does not need to be brought to a boil at this stage as it will keep cooking in the oven.
I find it easier to pour the sauce in two times, mixing well in between to make sure the sauce is well distributed.
Keep an eye on the cookies in the oven as the cooking time could vary from one oven to another. You want the cookies to have a nice golden brown colour but be careful not to let them burn.
If melting the chocolate in the microwave, stop every 30 seconds to stir and check on the chocolate to avoid burning it. Stop as soon as almost all the chocolate has melted but you can still see a few chunks. Keep stirring until all melted.