Florentines Christmas Cookie Recipe and a Christmas Cat

 Florentines, ready to serve

This is a repeat of a recipe I posted in December of 2011. These are crisp, light, and delicious, a good enough reason to repeat the recipe today.

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I don't know why I'd never made these before. They're mostly almond, something I eat a lot! And then you add dark chocolate to the top. What a spectacular combination!

Florentines: Recipe
This recipe is from www.foodnetwork.com

5 oz. finely ground almonds (You can buy them that way, and they're a lot cheaper than whole or sliced almonds)
3 T. all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (Appx. 2 T.)
1/4 t. fine salt
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. heavy cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
2 T. light corn syrup
5 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping, optional. (Optional??)
2-4 oz. semisweet chocolate (I used 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
I think that silicone baking mats work just as well.

Combine almonds, 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 (I didn't take any chances. I stirred it constantly) 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. Pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons (I made dough balls that were the size of shooter marbles and got a dozen balls on each large baking sheet. They will spread out, so leave plenty of space around each dough ball.)

Just out of the oven

I had a dozen cookies on each of two baking sheets. It worked well to place one on the middle shelf and one of the shelf above that. I baked them for 5 minutes, switched pans to the opposite oven racks, and baked another 6 minutes. I let them completely cool on the pans before spreading chocolate on top.

In a double boiler, melt the semi-sweet chocolate pieces. I couldn't manage to drizzle this, but spread a spoonful onto each cookie, then sprinkled additional ground almonds on top.

These cookies need to be chilled to help the chocolate set up. Then they're ready to serve or store. Right now, I have a box of them sitting outdoors on the deck where it's -5 degrees F. (That was in 2011. This weekend we're supposed to see temperatures in the mid to upper 40s!)

EASY and DELICIOUS

FLORENTINES

on one of my mom's Christmas plates. :-)

I think that another time I would try a little harder to get the chocolate thin enough to drizzle a zigzag pattern on the cookies, rather than have chocolate on the entire top. They would look prettier that way. So then we have to decide if we're going for pretty or for more chocolate. It's a tough one, isn't it.

One more thing:
Guess who came downstairs to check out the Christmas tree. Later, I found her lying under the tree next to the Santa Lucia doll. 

Tuppence - 
Snoopin' around the Christmas Tree

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Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties:  Amaze Me Monday and Inspiration Monday and Mosaic Monday and The Barn Collective and    Treasure Box Tuesday and Vintage Bliss Tuesday and KatheWithAnE and Rubbish Tuesday and Our World Tuesday and Tuesdays at our Home and Tuesday with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage)  and   Tweak it Tuesday and Vintage Inspiration Wednesday and Ivy and Elephants Wednesday and Adorned From Above  and Artsy Corner Thursday and  All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Saturday's Critters