Florentine Cookies: A Classic Step-by-Step Recipe with Photos

Florentini Florentine cookies are sweet almond-caramel cookies made without flour or eggs, making them gluten-free and perfect for Lent. Today, we'll show you how to make authentic Florentine cookies at home, offering a classic step-by-step recipe with detailed photo and video instructions.

Nutritional value per serving

382.2 kcal

Proteins: 4.8 g
Fats: 24.1 g
Carbohydrates: 37.6 g

*Nutritional value is calculated per 100g of ingredients

Total time: 50 min
Time in the kitchen: 30 min
Complexity:

A simple recipe.
Number of servings: 18

Florentine cookies are part of Italian cuisine, as the recipe was invented by Florentine chefs and was a favorite delicacy at the court of Maria de Medici.

The classic Florentina recipe contained only chopped almonds and caramel, but over the years, Italian pastry chefs have added a variety of vibrant flavors, adding zest, cranberries, candied fruit, and various types of nuts, as well as coating it in milk or dark chocolate.

Today, we'll show you step-by-step how to make a classic Florentina at home, with honey, almonds, and orange zest. This treat is quick and easy to prepare, and the results are sure to delight, even if you're just learning how to make desserts yourself.

A step-by-step recipe for Italian almond cookies called Florentina.

Florentine Almond Cookies – A Simple Recipe with Step-by-Step Photos

Ingredients

Servings

Almond

240 G
Almond flour

1 tbsp
Sugar

90 G
Butter

55 G
Cream 33%

40 G
Honey

1 tbsp
Chocolate

80 G

Preparation

Step 1

We begin preparing Florentine cookies by making the caramel. To do this, pour 40 grams of heavy cream and 90 grams of sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Step 2

Add 55 grams of pre-softened butter and a tablespoon of natural honey.

You can use any type of honey in Florentina's recipe, but keep in mind that the cookies will take on a corresponding flavor. If the honey has crystallized, it's best to melt it in a double boiler until it's liquid.

Step 3

Place the saucepan on the stove and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until all the ingredients melt and form a homogeneous mass.

Step 4

When the mixture becomes liquid and smooth, increase the heat to medium and bring the caramel to a boil. After boiling for about 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and let the caramel cool (this usually takes about 20 minutes).

Step 5

While the caramel is cooling, prepare the nuts. Florentine cookies can be made with either chopped almonds or flaked almonds (we use the classic version).

Some of the almonds need to be chopped with a knife, and some can be blended to obtain a finer fraction.

If you are using flaked almonds, simply chop a third of the serving and leave the rest whole.

Step 6

As a result, you should get almond crumbs, as in the photo.

Step 7

Add 1 tablespoon of almond flour to the almond crumbs.

If the absence of gluten is not essential for you, you can add a spoonful of classic wheat flour.

Step 8

At this step, you can add lemon or orange zest to the Florentina recipe; this will make the cookies more aromatic and give them a bright citrus note in the taste.

If you don't like zest, just skip this step.

Step 9

Combine caramel and nuts.

Step 10

Mix the ingredients thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

Step 11

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and form the cookies, mounding the almond-caramel mixture. Leave plenty of space between the cookies, as the mixture will spread slightly during baking.

You can also place the entire mixture on a baking sheet and, after baking, cut the resulting cake into portions.

Step 12

You need to bake the cookies in the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes at temperature 175℃.

Step 13

Cover one side of the finished cookies with melted chocolate.

You can place the cookies on a wire rack or plate, chocolate side up, and let them cool, or you can make double "sandwiches" with a chocolate layer; this is simply much more convenient and eliminates the need to dry each cookie separately.

Florentine cookies should be stored away from sunlight in a tightly sealed container at room temperature (not in the refrigerator!) for up to 30 days.

We also suggest trying the original Florentina recipe made with almond petals, cherries, and candied fruit: