Chocolate Florentine Cookies | These delicate almond lace cookies are chewy on the inside and crispy around the outside, drizzled with sweet chocolate, and fragrant with orange zest. The Florentine batter is made on the stovetop and then cooled, and then the cookies are baked up thin, crispy, and sweet. You can either drizzle the cookies with chocolate or make sandwich cookies.
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Fancy lace cookies for the holidays
If you love the combination of orange and chocolate then I think you'll love these chocolate florentine cookies. I began making them five or six years ago when my brother-in-law described a cookie he used to get at a bakery in Victoria BC.
Usually, when I make these Chocolate Florentine cookies, I melt the chocolate and then sandwich the cookies together. This year for our Christmas baking I drizzled chocolate on the individual cookies. They are good both ways so you can make it whichever way you want.
Ingredients
About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- the almonds: I use both almond flour and slivered almonds. I chop the slivered almonds so that they are much smaller. I've read a lot of recipes that include all-purpose flour but I prefer to leave it out and use just almond flour. I think it makes the cookies a little softer and chewier - which I prefer.
- the flavors: orange zest and chocolate. You'll need the zest of one orange and your choice of chocolate to melt. You can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate - whatever you prefer.
- for the rest: You'll also need sugar, heavy whipping cream, and unsalted butter. Some recipes use light corn syrup, but I don't.
Substitutions
- Chocolate: I use dark chocolate because I just always use it, it's my favorite. I love orange and dark chocolate together. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you prefer.
- Almond Flour: Instead of buying 2 products, you can simply buy slivered almonds and process them into both chopped almonds and almond flour.
How to make Florentine Lace Cookies
Prep Tips
- zest an orange
- line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper
- prepare a small bowl of water for dipping your fingers in
The batter for florentine cookies is made on the stovetop and then is cooled before you drop the cookies on the pan and bake them.
To start, chop the almonds. Use a food processor or knife to chop the slivered almonds until they are finely chopped into small pieces. Combine the chopped almonds with almond flour, orange zest, and salt.
In a medium pot, combine the sugar, butter, and heavy cream together. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and then hold it at a boil for one minute.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix fully. Set aside and let cool for 20-30 minutes.
How to bake the cookies
In the meantime, you can prepare a few baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
When the dough has cooled a bit, use two teaspoons to drop small portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Drop portions that are about 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons in size. Place 12 per pan, leaving plenty of space in between the cookies, they will spread out a lot.
Flatten each cookie a little bit with wet fingers. Don't worry about getting the edges perfect, you can fix them a bit when they come out of the oven.
Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes or until they have spread completely and are golden brown and the edges are a bit darker. Remove from the oven and use a spoon or small offset spatula to make the edges neater.
Let cool for 10 minutes or so before moving to a cooling rack to fully cool. Be careful, these cookies will be very soft and delicate.
Melt the chocolate. Dip a fork into the melted chocolate and then drizzle the chocolate over the top of the florentines. Let them dry and set (I move the whole pan to the fridge for this). You can also read below to make sandwich cookies instead.
RECIPE TIP: You can make the edges neater while the cookies are still warm - just nudge the edges with the back of a spoon.
Tips + Tricks for Making Chocolate Florentines
How to melt Chocolate in a microwave
- Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat for 30 seconds.
- Stir.
- Heat further at 15-second intervals until the chocolate is about 90-95% melted.
- Stir until fully melted.
How to melt Chocolate on the stovetop
- Add an inch or two of water to a small pot.
- Set a glass bowl on top of the pot.
- Place the chocolate in the bowl.
- Bring the water to a simmer.
- Continue to heat and stir the chocolate until fully melted.
How to make Florentine Sandwiches Cookies
- Melt chocolate.
- Spread chocolate on the bottom of one cookie. Press the bottom of another cookie into the chocolate and push gently to adhere. Allow to cool and set completely.
How to Get Perfectly Circle Florentine Cookies
- If your cookies are a bit misshapen when they come out of the oven and you want to fix them, you can. (You can also leave them, it's fine!) To reshape them, just gently nudge the edges while they are still hot. You can use a butter knife, the back of a spoon, or a small offset spatula to do this.
Equipment
I use my either my small 3-in-1 chopper or my food processor to chop the almonds. You could also use a knife.
I use a cookie scoop to portion out my cookie dough and an offset spatula to nudge the edges of the hot cookies into circles. I also use the offset spatula to spread chocolate on the cookies when making sandwich cookies.
To bake the cookies I use large cookie sheets and silicone mats. You can parchment paper instead.
Storage
I store my florentines in the fridge for about a week, if they last that long.
Recipes FAQs
Yes, I store my extra cookies in the freezer.
My florentine cookies are gluten-free but most recipes I've read contain a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour. I use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour.
More recipes with orange
Recipe
Florentine Cookies with Chocolate and Orange
Equipment
- Ninja Food Processor optional, for chopping the nuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup slivered almonds chopped
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon orange zest approximately, from one orange
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cups granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Chop almonds in a food processor or with a knife until finely chopped. Combine with almond flour, zest, and salt.
- In a medium pot, combine the sugar, cream, and butter. Bring to a boil, and then boil for one minute, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Stir.
- Let cool 15-20 minutes or until it's at a temperature you can handle.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Prepare a half-sheet pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Scoop teaspoons of batter onto the baking sheet. (1 - 1.5 teaspoons in size) Flatten with wet fingers.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Let cookies cool for about 10 minutes on the pan and then move them to a cooling rack.
- Melt chocolate in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds and then follow up with 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted. Dip a fork into the chocolate and drizzle over top of the cookies.
- Cool in fridge to set chocolate. Store in fridge or freezer.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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