Gluten-Free Florentine Lace Cookies
By Stephanie PixleyPublished on May 24, 2019
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes cooling
Yield
Makes about 24 cookies
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Not all brands of chocolate are processed in a gluten-free facility; make sure to read the label.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Process almonds in food processor until they resemble coarse sand, about 30 seconds.
- Bring cream, butter, and sugar to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 6 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to brown at edges and is thick enough to leave trail that doesn’t immediately fill in when spatula is scraped along pan bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer (some darker speckles may appear in mixture). Remove pan from heat and stir in ground almonds, marmalade, flour blend, vanilla, zest, and salt until combined.
- Drop 6 level tablespoons of dough onto each prepared sheet spaced at least 3½ inches apart. When dough is cool enough to handle, use damp fingers to press each portion into 2½-inch circle.
- Bake until deep brown from edge to edge, 15 to 17 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Transfer baked cookies, still on parchment, to wire rack to cool. Let sheets cool for 10 minutes, line with fresh parchment, then repeat portioning and baking remaining dough.
- Microwave 3 ounces (85 grams) chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring frequently, until about two-thirds of chocolate has melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and add remaining 1 ounce (28 grams) chocolate and stir until melted, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to complete melting if necessary. Transfer chocolate to small zipper-lock bag and snip off corner to make hole no larger than 1/16 inch.
- Transfer cooled cookies from parchment directly to wire racks. Pipe zigzag of chocolate over surface of each cookie, distributing chocolate evenly among all cookies. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 4 days.)
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes coolingYield
Makes about 24 cookiesIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Most recipes for Florentines are best left to the pros, with much of the process less like simple cookie baking and more like complicated candy making. But given their elegance and the fact they rely on such a small amount of flour, we agreed that figuring out how to make an approachable gluten-free Florentine was a must. Most recipes start by cooking butter, cream, and either corn syrup or honey in a saucepan until the mixture reaches 238 degrees to make the caramel base. We didn’t want to futz around with the thermometer, and we found we didn’t need to if we removed the saucepan from the heat when the mixture was consistently thick, bubbly, and a creamy tan color. At this point, we found that in batch after batch the target temp had been hit, and the resulting cookies were spot-on. Once the base was ready, the rest of the ingredients—typically flour, candied citrus, chopped almonds, vanilla, and a pinch of salt—are stirred in. We simplified things by swapping in orange marmalade for the candied citrus, and because chopped almonds interfered with the fine, lacy texture of the cookies, we ground them in the food processor before adding them to the batter. Flattening each portion before baking ensured evenly shaped, round cookies. For the finishing touch, we melted chocolate in the microwave, then quickly piped a drizzle onto each cookie with the help of a zipper-lock bag with the corner snipped off.
Before You Begin
Not all brands of chocolate are processed in a gluten-free facility; make sure to read the label.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Process almonds in food processor until they resemble coarse sand, about 30 seconds.
- Bring cream, butter, and sugar to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 6 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to brown at edges and is thick enough to leave trail that doesn’t immediately fill in when spatula is scraped along pan bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer (some darker speckles may appear in mixture). Remove pan from heat and stir in ground almonds, marmalade, flour blend, vanilla, zest, and salt until combined.
- Drop 6 level tablespoons of dough onto each prepared sheet spaced at least 3½ inches apart. When dough is cool enough to handle, use damp fingers to press each portion into 2½-inch circle.
- Bake until deep brown from edge to edge, 15 to 17 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Transfer baked cookies, still on parchment, to wire rack to cool. Let sheets cool for 10 minutes, line with fresh parchment, then repeat portioning and baking remaining dough.
- Microwave 3 ounces (85 grams) chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring frequently, until about two-thirds of chocolate has melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and add remaining 1 ounce (28 grams) chocolate and stir until melted, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to complete melting if necessary. Transfer chocolate to small zipper-lock bag and snip off corner to make hole no larger than 1/16 inch.
- Transfer cooled cookies from parchment directly to wire racks. Pipe zigzag of chocolate over surface of each cookie, distributing chocolate evenly among all cookies. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 4 days.)
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