Florentine Cookies
If you've never had a Florentine cookie, it's a quintessentially European confection that is memorable for its crisp yet chewy texture, buttery flavor, and decadent swirl of chocolate often drizzled over the top, peeking out from the bottom, or sandwiched in the middle.
Imagine my surprise, then, to discover that the main ingredient in this treat from my childhood is rolled oats and that it's a classier cousin to the oatmeal cookie, a stalwart in many American kitchens, but clearly not up to the task of holding the title Holiday Cookie. Florentine cookies, I can assure you, are the perfect stand-in, and even better for being made with wonderfully textured Quebec rolled oats.
Before I go on, I should hasten to say that Adele Dienno, who taught these cookies at a recent City Market class, calls them "lace cookies," neatly sidestepping the issue of where these cookies originate from (there's a whole debate about whether they are really indigenous to Florence, Italy, or perhaps were introduced during an ill-remembered French occupation of Italy). Either way, our General Manger, Clem, reminded me, oats are a northern grain, so they have a trace of Northern Europe clinging to them, too.
Adele also modifies them to leave out the corn syrup (ubiqutious in many Florentine cookie recipes) and the flour (which lightly binds the butter), choosing instead to make them with brown sugar and 100% rolled oats. The result is still delectable, whether you call them Florentines, lace cookies, or Florentiner, as they were called in my childhood memories of going to Cafe Fassbender in Siegburg, Germany:
So, back to making Florentines.
First, you combine brown sugar and butter together in a saucepan and melt it over low heat. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Then drop tiny, quarter-sized amounts onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, 2 or 3 inches apart. They spread out quite a bit...
...as you can see below. These cookies were placed a little bit too close together! Never mind, they will still be great:
The cookies bake for just 6 minutes, or long enough to flatten and darken. They are chewy and malleable when they come out, but if you let them cool on the parchment paper, they will come right off the paper and can be spread with melted chocolate and sandwiched together.
For variations, try dried fruit, candied citrus, or lightly toasted nuts like almonds or hazelnuts in the batter. Allow chocolate to harden and cool before serving...if you can wait that long.
Florentine Cookies
1 cup packed brown sugar
10 Tbs. cup unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 Tbs.)
2 cups rolled oats
1 well-beaten egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375.
In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in rolled oats, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt.
Line baking trays with parchment paper. Drop quarter-sized amounts 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake for 5-7 minutes, watching carefully, until flattened and darkened, but not burned! Remove and cool.
Makes dozens and dozens of cookies. If sandwiching with chocolate, serve within 1 week.
Variation #1 – Chocolate Florentines
Same as above
+1 cup good quality chocolate, melted
When cool enough to handle, make a sandwich using two cookies and a thin layer melted chocolate in between.
Variation #2 – Dried Cherry/Hazelnut Florentines
Same as above
+ 1/2 cup dried unsweetened cherries, chopped fine (or other dried/candied fruit)
+ 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped fine (or other roasted nuts)
Combine ingredients as above, but add dried cherries and hazelnuts. Flatten down with a moistened spoon or hand before baking.
Recipes from Adele Dienno