Florentines

10 minutes - 12 minutes
to cook

If there was such a thing as a prize for the very best biscuit in the world, one bite of a Florentine would tell you this was the winner.

Absolutely top drawer and perfect if you want to give a special homemade present at Christmas.

The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to store and freeze cakes and biscuits in our video. Just click the recipe image to play.

A picture of Delia's Cakes

This recipe is from Delia's Cakes. Makes about 20. Scroll to the bottom of the Method to see questions Lindsey has answered on this recipe


  • method
  • Ingredients

Method

Start by putting the butter together with the sugar and flour in a small, heavy-based saucepan over a very low heat, and keep stirring until the mixture has melted.

Now gradually add the cream, stirring continuously to keep it smooth. Then add all the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate. Stir thoroughly again, then remove the saucepan from the heat and put the mixture on one side to cool. You’ll find it easier to bake one sheet of the Florentines at a time, so now place heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2.5cm apart (to allow the mixture room to expand while baking).

Flatten each spoonful with the back of the spoon, then bake on a high shelf for about 10–12 minutes, or until golden. Then take them out of the oven and leave the biscuits to harden on the baking sheet for 2–3 minutes, before quickly removing them to a wire cooling tray to cool. Repeat with the second batch.

Next, melt the chocolate in a basin over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. This will take about 5–10 minutes. Place the cooled Florentines base-up on the wire rack and, using a teaspoon, coat the underside of each Florentine with warm melted chocolate. Then, just before it sets, make a patterned, wavy line on each one, using a fork. Now leave the Florentines to cool completely before packing in alternating rows of fruit and chocolate side up in airtight tins.

Additional

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC, gas mark 5

Using a fan-assisted oven? Click here

Equipment

You will need two Delia Online Baking Sheets, with non-stick liners, or similar

The Delia Online bakeware range is now available online, and you can buy our baking sheets and washable and reusable liners direct from Silverwood.

Click here for the baking sheets
Click here for the liners

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