Super Easy Chocolate Florentines
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These classic Chocolate florentines are super easy to make and quick too. The perfect chocolatey treat during the festive season and a great foodie gift for Christmas too.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Chocolate florentine cookies are super quick and easy to make and we all love an easy recipe don’t we!
- This is a versatile recipe, use whatever nuts you have to hand to make your florentine biscuits, be as creative as you like.
- While you can buy chocolate florentines in the shops, they can be pricey and this recipe is economical so why not just make your own.
- These make the perfect wee foodie gift for Christmas!
Where do chocolate florentines come from?
This is a French/Italian recipe dating back to the 17th century when the royal chefs of France were commissioned to create a special bake for the French Queen Catherine de Medici (she originated in Florence in Tuscany), so the biscuit was named in her honour – the chocolate florentine.
These delicious chocolate florentines make a great foodie gift and if you are on the lookout for edible gifts then check out my books; So Easy Christmas, Foodie Gifts For Christmas (Book 1), Naughty & Nice Edible Gifts For Christmas and Gourmet Gifts For Christmas.
Ingredients for chocolate florentines
Chocolate – use good quality chocolate here. Traditionally, chocolate florentines are made with dark chocolate as I’ve done here. But feel free to use milk or plain chocolate or a mixture of both.
Dried fruit – florentine biscuits traditionally contain dried fruit. I have gone for a mixture of dried cranberries and candied orange peel.
Nuts – you can use whatever type of nuts you prefer to make these florentine cookies. I’ve gone for a bag of mixed nuts here.
Sugar – brown sugar gives your cookies a lovely rich caramel flavour. I have used dark brown sugar but light brown sugar works just as well.
Syrup – Good old golden syrup adds extra sweetness to these delicious Christmas biscuits.
The base – butter and plain flour.
How to make chocolate florentine biscuits
This really couldn’t be easier really. This is a simple two-step recipe, melt then bake.
But first, break up the nuts. Don’t use a food processor as you will get crumps. Put the nuts in a bag and bash with a rolling pin. You want nice crunchy pieces of nuts in your chocolate florentines, so don’t bash them to bits!
Put all your ingredients for these florentine biscuits (apart from the chocolate!) into a pan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved. Stir the mixture well to that it is all combined in a gorgeous sweet gooey mix for just 5 minutes.
Now we are on to the baking step. Just take a teaspoon and scoop out spoonfuls of the florentine mixture and place these on a lined baking tray spaced well apart. They will spread and flatten as they bake so give them space.
Now simply bake your Florentines for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. I use two baking trays to make my florentines.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Melt your chocolate in either a Bain Marie (a non-metallic bowl over a pan of simmering water) or in the microwave.
Some people just spread chocolate on the base of their florentines or even dip one half of the biscuit in chocolate.
Traditional chocolate florentines have chocolate on one side with a wavey pattern on it.
Spread the melted chocolate over the flat bases of the Florentines and just before it sets up use a fork to make the traditional wavey marks on the biscuits that all traditional chocolate florentines have.
Dip the fork in a cup of hot water between making the pattern on each biscuit so it goes smoothly through the chocolate to create the pattern.
How many does this make
This recipe will make approximately 16 chocolate florentine biscuits. I used a teaspoon and this gave a good 7-8cm biscuit when baked.
How long do chocolate florentines keep?
These biscuits keep really well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. That makes these chocolate florentines the perfect foodie gift at Christmas time.
Serving suggestions
Your chocolate florentines will go perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea.
You can also serve your chocolate florentine cookies with a dollop of good quality vanilla ice cream as a super simple festive dessert.
Leave some chocolate florentines out for Santa!
Looking for more super simple festive bakes to tickle those taste buds? Then check out these recipes before you go;
And if you want even more festive inspiration check out my Christmas Recipes area here on Larder Love for lots more super easy recipes.
Easy Chocolate Florentines
Ingredients
- 25 g dried cranberries
- 50 g candied peel
- 75 g mixed nuts any nuts will do
- 50 g brown sugar
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
- 50 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
- 200 g dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C and line 2 baking sheets
- Roughly chop the nuts but don't crush them completely
- put all ingredients (apart from the chocolate) in a pan and heat gently till sugar has dissolved. Stir to combine well and cook for 5 minutes.
- Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture on to a lined baking tray spaced well apart as they will flatten and spread as they bake
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden (they will crisp up as they cool on the cooling rack)
- Melt the chocolate either in a Bain Marie (bowl over simmering water) or in a microwave
- Spread melted chocolate on cooled Florentines then make wave-like patterns on them with a fork