Go Back
Stacked chocolate-backed florentines layered neatly and ready for gifting, showing crisp caramelised edges and decorative chocolate comb lines.

Florentine Biscuits

These classic Florentine biscuits are thin, crisp and deeply caramelised, packed with toasted flaked almonds, dried fruit and finished with a smooth layer of chocolate. Made by cooking cream, honey, butter and sugar to a light caramel before folding through nuts and fruit, Florentines bake into delicate, lacy biscuits with a satisfying snap. Once cooled, they’re dipped or fully coated in tempered chocolate for a professional bakery finish. Perfect for festive baking, edible gifts or elegant afternoon tea, these Florentines balance sweetness, texture and richness in every bite.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 8 people
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Baking
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 160 gm Cream
  • 100 gm Honey
  • 100 gm Unsalted butter
  • 250 gm Castor sugar
  • 70 gm Plain flour
  • 150 gm Glace cherries
  • 100 gm Sultanas
  • 250 gm Flaked almonds
  • 500 gm 40% -55% coverture chocolate (Note 1)

Equipment

  • 4 Trays
  • 4 Silpat Mats
  • 1 9 cm Round Cookie cutter
  • 1 Saucepan
  • 1 Stove top
  • 2 Mixing spoon
  • 1 Oven
  • 1 Teaspoon
  • 1 step palette knife
  • 1 chopping board
  • 1 knife
  • 1 double boiler
  • 1 Comb

Method
 

Florentines
  1. Add cream, sugar, honey and butter to a pan on the stove and cook to a rose stirring until the sugar melts and keep on a medium boil until it reaches (113℃)
  2. Add the almonds to the oven and lightly brown and keep warm in the oven
  3. Chop the glace cherries into pieces
  4. Add warmed almonds, sultanas and cherries and flour into the mixture on the stove when it reaches temperature and cook stirring for 2 minutes on a low heat.
  5. Set aside to cool
Baking
  1. Line 4 trays with Silpat matts or baking paper.
  2. Roll teaspoons of mixture into a ball around 6 cm apart.
  3. Flatten with a step palette knife
  4. Set the oven to 190℃
  5. Bake until the edges are golden and bubbling
  6. Take out and round up with the cookie cutter about 9 cm to ensure all the cookies are the same size
  7. Set aside to set and cool off on the tray
  8. Continue baking until all the florentines are cooked.
Chocolate coating
  1. Warm chocolate over a double boiler on a low simmer
  2. Take off the heat
  3. Turn the Florentines over carefully
  4. Apply a thin even coat of chocolate
  5. When the chocolate thickens run the comb over it to make a wavy shape
  6. Set fully before packing or plating up

Video

Notes

Note 1-Couverture chocolate 45-55% is ideal but you will still get good results with dark baking chocolate