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These homemade florentines feature a mix of flaked almonds, glacé cherries, candied citrus peel, and raisins, all caramelized together to form a sweet and chewy biscuit and finished with a dunk in dark chocolate for the ultimate treat.
What are Florentines?
Florentines are small biscuits made from a mixture of nuts, candied fruits, and sugar and/or honey, then spooned into silicone molds (or onto a silicone mat) and baked in the oven until caramelized and golden brown. They’re traditionally finished with a drizzle or dunk in dark chocolate, striking a balance between sweet and nutty, with a chewy texture and just the right amount of crunch.
These delicate fruit-and-nut cookies are thought to have originated in Italy, although the exact history remains something of a mystery. Some say they were first created in Florence (hence the name!) but it’s just as likely that they got their start in 17th century France. And in fact, I learned to make these at French pastry school, during Basic Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu.
That day, we made florentines along with other pastry classics like macarons and Nancy macarons. My first-ever attempt at macarons was a complete and total disaster, but luckily the florentines fared much better, and these fruit-and-nut confections quickly became a personal favorite.
Florentines aren’t your average cookie. (There are lacy florentines and chewy florentines; I’m partial to the chewy kind, so that’s the version I’ve made here.) Not unlike macarons, they’re slightly finicky, but totally worth the extra effort.
Ingredients for Making Florentines
To make this florentine recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Flaked Almonds – Be sure to use flaked almonds or sliced blanched almonds. Do not use whole nuts.
- Candied Mixed Peel – Cut mixed peel (a blend of tiny pieces of candied orange and lemon) features prominently in many British recipes. If you can’t find mixed peel locally, you can order it from Amazon, or substitute finely chopped homemade candied orange peels instead. (Oh, and use the leftovers to my miniature Christmas puddings!)
- Glacé Cherries – Glacé cherries are sticky and dry, not wet like maraschino cherries. They’re sometimes sold as “candied cherries,” “cherry halves,” or “holiday fruit.”
- Nuts – You’ll need about 15 grams of chopped walnuts or pistachios, or a mix of both.
- Sweeteners – A blend of caster sugar, honey, and light corn syrup creates the sweet, chewy, caramelized biscuit base. For corn syrup I prefer the Golden Barrel brand, but Light Karo syrup will also work, or you can use liquid glucose instead.
- Unsalted Butter – No need to soften, since you’ll be melting it on the stovetop.
- Raisins – Or a mix of raisins and dried cranberries. See my notes below for more on adding dried fruit to florentines.
- Dark Chocolate – Choose a good-quality couverture for dipping the florentines. For notes on tempering, see below.
Notes on Dried Fruit
The first few times I made florentines (including in our lesson at Le Cordon Bleu) I mixed the dried fruit into the nut and honey mixture, then baked everything together in the oven. This tried-and-true method is still an option if you don’t mind the texture of cooked raisins.
That said, if you’ve ever made oatmeal raisin cookies, you might remember how the raisins poking from the tops of the cookies took on a puffy, bloated look, with a soft—rather than chewy—consistency.
If you aren’t a fan of cooked raisins, you can quickly add a few to the top of each florentine after removing the biscuits from the oven. (You’ll need to act very, very quickly, before the sugar syrup sets.) Thanks to Nicola Lamb over at Kitchen Projects for this excellent tip!
Should I Use a Mold?
Some florentine recipes instruct you to simply drop the sticky fruit-and-nut onto a silicone mat by the spoonful. I tested this method and found it overly fussy, with biscuits prone to over-spreading.
At Le Cordon Bleu, we learned to make florentines in a silicone mold, and I strongly suggest you do the same. You can use any small silicone mold you’d like, as long as the bottom of each cavity is roughly 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
For this recipe, I used a fluted silicone tart mold with cavities measuring about 1 1/2 inches across the bottom. You can go slightly smaller (with a smaller mold the cookies will be a bit thicker and chewier) or larger than this, but I don’t recommend going with a mold larger than 2 inches or the biscuits will be too thin.
The depth of your mold does not matter, since you’ll only be adding a spoonful of fruit and nuts to the bottom of each cup. (The mold is mostly there to constrain the mixture so it doesn’t over-spread, rather than creating a decorative shape.) You can use something like a silicone muffin pan, or even bake the florentine mixture in individual silicone muffin cups.
Here are a few appropriate mold choices:
12-Cavity Round Cylinder Silicone Molds
Silicone Peanut Butter Cup Molds
Chocolate: To Temper, or not to Temper?
In simplified terms, tempering describes the process of heating and cooling chocolate couverture to specific temperatures, producing shiny, fast-setting chocolate. Tempering requires time and patience; it can be complex and difficult to master. There are numerous online chocolate tempering tutorials available, such as this one by Callebaut, and this one by Valhrona.
If you aren’t familiar with tempering, you can use discs of coating chocolate for this recipe. Unlike couverture, coating chocolate (also known by a range of other names such as melting chocolate, melting wafers, confectionery coating, candy wafers, or dipping chocolate) is ready to go, without the need to temper.
You can also drizzle or dip your florentines in untempered chocolate. (It won’t be quite as shiny as the tempered kind, but will taste just as good!) Untempered chocolate requires more time to set, so you might find it helpful to pop the tray in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help speed the process along.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Homemade florentines are best enjoyed within the first few days, but you can store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. I do not suggest freezing florentines.
Other biscuit and cookie recipes you might enjoy:
French Macarons
Earl Grey Cookies
Chocolate Orange Shortbread
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Florentines
- Total Time: About 1 hour
- Yield: 12 2-inch florentines 1x
Description
These homemade florentines feature a mix of flaked almonds, glacé cherries, candied peel, and raisins, all caramelized together to form a sweet and chewy biscuit. Finish with a dunk in dark chocolate for best results!
Ingredients
45 grams flaked almonds (1/2 cup)
25 grams candied mixed peel (2 tablespoons)
25 grams glacé cherries, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 tablespoon, packed)
15 grams chopped walnuts or pistachios (2 tablespoons)
35 grams caster sugar (3 tablespoons)
20 grams honey (1 tablespoon)
20 grams light corn syrup or liquid glucose (1 tablespoon)
30 grams unsalted butter, softened (2 tablespoons)
25 grams raisins (2 tablespoons)
75 grams chopped dark chocolate (2 1/2 ounces; about 1/2 cup) for decorating, optional
Instructions
Sit a 12-cup silicone mold* on a small tray. Preheat oven to 176° C / 350° F.
In a medium bowl, stir together flaked almonds, candied mixed peel, glacé cherries, and chopped walnuts. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, stir together caster sugar, honey, and corn syrup. Heat over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Stir in the butter and allow it to melt.
Cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches soft ball stage, about 118° C on a candy thermometer, about 1-2 minutes.
Pour hot syrup over the fruit and nut mixture and stir until well combined.
Spoon mixture into silicone mold, dividing it evenly between the cavities.
Bake in preheated oven for 11-12 minutes, or until bubbly and light golden brown.
Remove from oven and immediately dot each florentine with a few raisins**, pressing down gently to secure.
Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, or until bottom of mold is cool to the touch. Refrigerate tray while you prepare the chocolate.
Line a tray with parchment or a silicone mat. Melt chocolate over a bain-marie or double boiler.
Pop the florentines from the mold.
Dip the bottom of each florentine in chocolate, then sit it, chocolate side down, on prepared tray.
Allow chocolate to set. (If you’re in a hurry, you can refrigerate to speed up the process.)
Store florentines in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
*The bottoms of the cavities should be about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Depth does not matter.
**See notes on dried fruit in the post above.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Stovetop + Oven