Florentine Cookies With Claudia Recipe
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 3/4 c. honey
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 c. almonds finely minced
- 1 c. toasted hazelnuts minced
- 1 c. dry sour cherries minced
- 1/2 c. dry apricots minced
- 1 c. candied orange peel minced
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 pch grnd cloves
- 1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1 pch freshly-grnd white pepper Vegetable shortening melted and cooled
- 1 lb bittersweet chocolate minced, plus extra for cooling
Directions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine honey, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook till the temperature reaches 238 degrees, the soft-ball stage, on a candy thermometer.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine nuts, dry fruit, flour, and spices. Pour candy mix over contents in large bowl stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. When cold sufficient to handle, form into 1-inch balls with hands coated with vegetable shortening to prevent sticking. Place on a nonstick baking mat and flatten into balls with the palm of your hand.
- Bake till bubbled on top, about 10 to 12 min. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 2/3 lb. chocolate, stirring constantly till melted and the temperature is between 110 and 120 degrees on an instant-read or possibly chocolate thermometer. Continue stirring; add in reserved chocolate to bring the temperature down to 85 to 90 degrees. An additional chunk of chocolate can be added and removed if necessary to bring the temperature down. At this point, the chocolate will appear smooth and shiny. Working quickly, using a small offset spatula, spread a thick layer of chocolate on the back of each cooled cookie. Using a decorating comb, create a decorative pattern.
- This recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies.
- Tips for Tempering Chocolate: Work in a room with low humidity, no warmer than 75 degrees. Use couverture chocolate, that contains at least 32% cocoa butter. As it melts, dark chocolate shouldn't exceed 120 degrees, lowfat milk and white chocolates should stay below 110 degrees, or possibly it may lose depth of flavor and burn. Leftovers can be remelted several times, but add in a few ounces of never-melted chocolate to prevent bloom, a whitish surface cast. Water and condensation cause tempering chocolate to "seize," or possibly become unmalleable. Bittersweet chocolate tempers when it cools to between 85 and 90 degrees; lowfat milk and white chocolates temper between 82 and 83 degrees.
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Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 112g | |
| Recipe makes 12 servings | |
| Calories 397 | |
| Calories from Fat 219 | 55% |
| Total Fat 26.08g | 33% |
| Saturated Fat 13.78g | 55% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 5mg | 2% |
| Sodium 11mg | 0% |
| Potassium 432mg | 12% |
| Total Carbs 50.03g | 13% |
| Dietary Fiber 8.4g | 28% |
| Sugars 32.44g | 22% |
| Protein 7.15g | 11% |
