Indulge in the delightful Pecan Florentine, a symphony of buttery shortbread, caramelized sugar, and crunchy pecans. This classic confection, also known as Florentine cookies or Florentines, originated in the Italian region of Tuscany and has since captivated taste buds worldwide.
As you embark on this culinary journey, you'll discover two irresistible variations of the Pecan Florentine. The first recipe showcases the simplicity yet elegance of the traditional Pecan Florentine, where crisp shortbread is topped with a layer of golden caramel and an abundance of pecan nuts. The second recipe takes a creative twist, introducing a rich chocolate ganache that complements the sweet and nutty flavors perfectly.
Both recipes are meticulously crafted with step-by-step instructions, ensuring that even novice bakers can achieve success. The detailed ingredient list includes alternatives for various dietary preferences, making these treats accessible to everyone.
So, gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and prepare to immerse yourself in the delightful world of Pecan Florentines. Let's embark on this culinary adventure together, creating delectable treats that will leave you and your loved ones utterly smitten.
FLORENTINES
Provided by Giada De Laurentiis
Categories dessert
Time 2h45m
Yield 28 Sandwich Cookies
Number Of Ingredients 8
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.
FLORENTINES (ITALY)
These Tuscan cookies are a Christmas classic. They're nutty, lacy and crisp, as well as deceptively simple to make. Drizzling them with chocolate turns them into the perfect holiday indulgence.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories dessert
Time 1h35m
Yield 5 dozen 3-inch Florentines, or 2 1/2 dozen 6-inch Florentine
Number Of Ingredients 10
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
These lacy cookies are buttery and crisp. Don't bake more than 5 cookies on the cookie sheet at one time because even a tiny amount of cookie batter will spread a lot.
Provided by Chef mariajane
Categories Drop Cookies
Time 6m
Yield 36 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 7
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 34.5, Fat 2.3, SaturatedFat 1.1, Cholesterol 3.5, Sodium 9.7, Carbohydrate 3.6, Fiber 0.2, Sugar 2.6, Protein 0.2
PECAN FLORENTINES
These pecan florentines are part cookie, part candy. They melt into the shape of a cookie as they bake but taste more like a toffee. Buttery, nutty and caramel-like, these will quickly become a holiday favorite. They're light and crisp in texture and just melt in your mouth. The chocolate drizzle on top is a delicious final...
Provided by Beth Streeter
Categories Chocolate
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- 1. To pulverize pecans put them in a food processor or blender and process until thoroughly ground with a DRY not pasty texture. Then measure out 3/4 of a cup.
- 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with foil and lightly grease foil with a spray on oil.
- 3. Combine pecans and flour in a small bowl.
- 4. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and milk in a medium saucepan. Put the saucepan over medium heat and stir until mixture comes to a light boil.
- 5. Remove from heat. Add flour and pecan mixture.
- 6. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls about 3 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lacy and golden brown. Cookies will be soft when they are hot but become crisp as they cool.
- 7. I take the foil and slide it off to a flat heatproof surface to let the cookie cool completely. When cooled, peel the cookies off of the foil and set on wax paper.
- 8. Place chocolate chips in a zip top bag and place in a hot but not boiling pot of water for about 10 minutes. Being very careful not to let the bag get ANY water in it. Knead bag lightly to check that chips are completely melted.
- 9. Pat the bag dry and with scissors snip off a small hole in the corner of the bag. Squeeze melted chocolate over the cookies to decorate.
- 10. Let stand until chocolate is set.
PECAN LACE COOKIES II
These caramel beauties can be shaped while they are cooling, to become edible bowls for exotic desserts. If left on the parchment to cool, they will become a caramel-colored snowflake of flavor. Drizzle chocolate on them after cooling for an added bonus.
Provided by Jim Jeremiah
Categories Desserts Nut Dessert Recipes Pecan Dessert Recipes
Time 30m
Yield 30
Number Of Ingredients 5
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 190.2 calories, Carbohydrate 22.1 g, Cholesterol 16.3 mg, Fat 11.4 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 1.6 g, SaturatedFat 4.3 g, Sodium 52.3 mg, Sugar 9.5 g
LACE COOKIES (FLORENTINE COOKIES)
These Florentine lace cookies are simple to make and gorgeous to look at. This cookie technique is versatile and adaptable to any kinds of nuts or chocolate. They also keep pretty well so they're perfect if you're looking for an idea for an edible holiday gift for any cookie lover on your list--just stack them up in a box and tie them with a bow!
Provided by Chef John
Time 2h20m
Yield 18
Number Of Ingredients 8
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 212.5 calories, Carbohydrate 22.1 g, Cholesterol 13.6 mg, Fat 13.9 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 3.1 g, SaturatedFat 5.4 g, Sodium 13.2 mg, Sugar 18.4 g
MIXED SEAFOOD FLORENTINE
This is another 1 of my "found on an old sheet of paper" recipes that I modified slightly & it did say that it was orig a Food Network recipe contributed by Martha Bouchard. I love the RZ ingredient search! W/little time or effort, I easily found out there are 205 "florentine" recipes here: 2 w/scallops, 5 w/shrimp & 0 w/haddock or sweet potatoes. None of the 7 I did find resembled this unique recipe in any way. Voila! Time to enter a new & intriguing seafood recipe. :-) *Enjoy*
Provided by twissis
Categories Vegetable
Time 1h
Yield 5 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray a med-sized casserole dish w/baking spray. In a bowl, mix haddock, shrimp + scallops & set aside.
- Slice cooked sweet potato very thinly & layer slices over bottom of the casserole. Cover potato layer w/uncooked baby spinach leaves.
- Gently pour 1 cup cream over potatoes & spinach. Season to taste pref w/salt & pepper.
- Sprinkle w/6 tbsp grated Parmesan & evenly add mixed seafood in a layer. Pour 2nd cup of cream over the seafood & sprinkle w/last 2 tbsp grated Parmesan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle w/fresh chopped parsley & serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 530.4, Fat 39.5, SaturatedFat 23.9, Cholesterol 275.6, Sodium 964.9, Carbohydrate 12.1, Fiber 1.8, Sugar 1.5, Protein 32.4
Tips:
- Use fresh ingredients: Fresh, high-quality ingredients will result in the best-tasting florentines.
- Don't overmix the batter: Overmixing will make the florentines tough.
- Be patient when baking: The florentines need to be baked until they are golden brown and crispy around the edges.
- Let the florentines cool completely before dipping them in chocolate: This will help the chocolate to set properly.
- Use a variety of toppings: You can top the florentines with chopped nuts, dried fruit, or even a drizzle of caramel.
Conclusion:
Pecan florentines are a delicious and elegant treat that is perfect for any occasion. With a little time and effort, you can easily make these cookies at home. So next time you're looking for a special dessert, give pecan florentines a try. You won't be disappointed!
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