Home » Recipe Index » Recipe

Florentine Cookies for the GBBO Bake-Along

This post contains affiliate links, if you click on them and buy something I earn a small commission. Thank you!

Mmmmm it’s BISCUIT Week for the Great British Baking Show! And this week we’re tackling Florentine Cookies. And you’re going to love them!

What are Florentine Cookies?

Crispy, lacey, delicate, florentine cookies taste best with their backs dipped in chocolate. They may seem a fussy sort of cookie to make but their flavor is OH so classic and worth the effort. They’re kind of like a fruity flat Brandy Snap!

Traditionally Florentine Cookies are made with candied fruits and peel. But in Biscuit Week 2020 the Signature Bake had everyone making up their OWN flavor Combos, so I did too. This recipe uses dried cranberries, Craisins, and pecans. They will be on our Christmas Baking List this year!

The lacey look comes from not adding a lot of flour to make an actual dough. The butter and sugar/corn syrup/golden syrup make an almost caramelly crunch cookie. The should SNAP when you break them or bite them. And they should be lacey with peek-a-boo holes in them!

Florentine Cookies for Biscuit Week?

I know a lot of Americans get confused about this one but biscuits don’t mean buttermilk biscuits! Or Baking Powder Biscuits. Or ANY biscuity type thing. Biscuits in the UK means COOKIES!

COOKIE WEEK, I can Get behind that.

Are Florentine Cookies EASY to Make?

They are NOT hard to make. You can whip up a batch in less than 10 minutes. The hardest part being the chopping of the fruit. My food processor died so I did them all by hand. NOT HARD just a little time-consuming.

So how many batches of florentines did I make before I got it right? Probably 5. I think it’s just a matter of timing and knowing that they’re done enough and not burnt.

I had two kinds of pans in the oven on both racks. Interestingly the pan that was darker brown baked quicker. BUT the silver pans tasted like they were baked better.

I set my timer for the MINIMUM time of 8 minutes and then checked it pretty obsessively every 30 seconds or so after that. They really can go from done to burnt in 30 seconds so be on the lookout for that.

Pin for Florentine Cookies.
Yield: 18

Florentine Cookies

One single perfect Florentine Cookie.

Lacey, crispy, caramel-y these Florentine Cookies are just the perfect crispy biscuit!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 Tablespoons of butter
  • 3 1/3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup plus a Tablespoon of dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pecans halves
  • 3/8 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips OR good melting chocolate

Instructions

  1. pre-heat the oven to 350˚
  2. line three large baking trays with parchment paper
  3. put the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a saucepan set aside
  4. chop the pecans and cranberries together, you want them fine but not absolutely ground up, if you use a food processor just pulse the mixture
  5. warm the butter mixture in the saucepan JUST until the butter melts
  6. remove from the heat
  7. stir in the flour
  8. stir in the nuts
  9. drop by teaspoon fulls on the baking sheets, making 18 roughly equal cookies
    Cookie batter on the baking sheets.
  10. bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, set the timer for 8 then when it goes off check back every 30 seconds or so until the cookies are golden brown
  11. remove the sheets from the oven, let them cool slightly, and then use a spatula to peel them off the parchment
  12. cool completely on baking racks, they should be snappy and crispy when cooled, if not they can be baked for a little longer in the oven
  13. once cooled melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat
  14. use a spoon to coat the backs of the cookies, lay chocolate side up to cool
  15. once they are halfway cooled use a fork to make a wavy line design across the back of the cookie, let them finish cooling

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information

Yield

18

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 134Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 6mgSodium 20mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 1gSugar 14gProtein 1g

This nutrition information was calculated using a computer program, results may vary.

Would you pin this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

laura sampson

About Laura

Laura is on a mission to teach modern family oriented women how to make old-fashioned foods new again. A wife and mom of 3 boys, Laura understands the struggles of trying to serve a home-cooked meal each night. She provides recipes and cooking hacks for busy moms to create dishes they may think take more time or skill than they have to make. Read more...

2 thoughts on “Florentine Cookies for the GBBO Bake-Along”

  1. Hi! Could I use honey or agave (or maybe maple syrup?) instead of the corn syrup? I have all the other things in my pantry already so could give it a try today if so *fingers crossed*

    Reply
    • Ohhh that’s a good question! I think you could try agave! Maybe honey too?? I’m not 100% sure but why no give it a shot??

Leave a Comment

Skip to Recipe