Anna Bakes CLASSIC Florentine Cookies!

2020-06-05 13:00:03

by Oh Yum with Anna Olson

2000

Florentine Cookies are on the menu in Chef Anna Olson s amazing kitchen and she is going to teach you how to make this delicious recipe from scratch And as a bonus she is going to teach you how to temper chocolate Follow along with the recipes below RecipeYield About 4 dozenPrep Time 50 minutesCook Time 15 minutesIngredients1 ½ cups 150 g sliced almonds½ cup 2 Tbsp 130 g granulated sugar caster sugar ¼ cup 75 g honey1 3 cup 80 mL whipping 35 cream5 oz 150 g bittersweet chocolate choppedDirections1 Preheat the oven to 350 F 180 C Line a baking tray with a silicone coated liner 2 Place the sliced almonds in a re sealable bag and crush them a little using a rolling pin or even your hands Set aside 3 Place the sugar honey and whipping cream in a small sauce pot and bring up to a full boil while stirring and continue to boil and stir until the mixture reaches 244 F 118 C on a candy thermometer Remove the pot from the heat stir in the almonds and transfer this to a bowl to cool for about 15 minutes 4 Have a bowl of cool water on hand as well as a 2 ½ inch 65 mm round cookie cutter Drop small teaspoonfuls of the almond batter onto the prepared baking tray leaving at least 3 to 4 inches 75 100 mm between the spoonfuls to allow for spreading With wet fingers press down the almond batter a little Bake the Florentines for about 12 minutes until they have flattened and have browned evenly you may find rotating the pans halfway through baking promotes even browning Let the Florentines sit for 30 to 90 seconds to set a little but not fully Dip the cookie cutter in the cool water and press it into each cookie to cut a precise circle Now allow the cookies to fully cool and use a palette knife to carefully lift them off the tray carefully pulling away the trimmings Repeat with the remaining batter and keep the cookie trimming scraps they make an excellent topping for ice cream or stirred into a cheesecake batter 5 Once the Florentines have fully cooled prepare the chocolate for brushing on each To temper the chocolate you will need a marble board or a granite or other stone countertop or a stainless steel counter will also do Place all of the chopped chocolate in a metal bowl and set this over a pot of barely simmering water no bubbles visible stirring gently until melted and the temperature reaches 113 122 F 45 50 C Pour two thirds of the chocolate onto your marble surface and set bowl with the remaining chocolate off to the side on a towel away from heat and not on the marble 6 Using two putty knives or a palette knife bench scraper spread out the chocolate into a thin layer and use your tools to push the chocolate back into the centre of the board scarping your tools to clean them of the chocolate at each push This action of moving the chocolate plus the cooling property of the marble will lower the temperature of the chocolate Keep repeating this process or spreading and scraping in until a temperature of 81 82 F 27 28 C is achieved 7 Stir and check the temperature of your reserved chocolate it should have cooled to about 104 113 F 40 45 C Now add the marble cooled chocolate back to the bowl and stir for about 30 seconds before checking the temperature it should be between 88 90 F 31 32 C and is now tempered To double check dip a piece of parchment into the chocolate and set on your marble it should start setting within a minute or two 8 Use a pastry brush to brush an even layer of the chocolate onto the back of each Florentine and place these on a parchment lined baking tray to set Pop the tray in the fridge for 3 5 minutes just for a final cure or set but then remove to store the Florentines in a cool place in an airtight container As a decorative option you can use cocoa butter transfer sheets found at stores that carry cake decorating supplies and place the chocolate brushed Florentine on the sheet Chill the Florentines as above then peel then off the transfer sheet revealing a lovely shiny design and store The Florentines will keep for up to a week Shop Anna Olson Cookbooks Follow Anna on social media Follow Oh Yum on OhYum CookieRecipe