o ne pe rf e ct bit e .blo gspo t .

co m

http://o neperfectbite.blo gspo t.co m/2009/12/flo rentine-lace-co o kies.html

Florentine Lace Cookies

T he appearance of these cookies on my holiday tray began as a f ondness f or the person who introduced me to them. I'd never had them in Chicago, and when we moved east I was still of an age where I thought I knew everything. Yvonne, whom we met through an old-f ashioned letter of introduction, was determined to show me how mistaken that notion was. She was French and charming and had an accent that would make the angels sing. She was also a natural born teacher. Her original mission was to teach me needle work, but when that didn't work as she planned, she took me into her kitchen. T hat visit led to a Christmas that would include our f irst Paris Brest, a Bouche de Noel and these lovely lacy Florentines. Contrary to popular belief , these cookies are not Italian. T hey've been traced to the kitchens of Louis XIV where they were made f or visiting Medici princes who took them back with them when they returned to Florence. Of all the cookies I've prepared f or the holidays, these are my f avorites. I love the way they look and smell and taste. While we eat ours out of hand, it is not uncommon to see them drizzled with chocolate. I love chocolate but I don't think it adds anything to these cookies. If you try the recipe, or are a f an of Florentines, I'd love to know how you f eel about using chocolate to f inish them. If you've never made them, there is one truc you should be aware of . Even though you bake the cookies one tray at a time, the dough must be dropped on cookie sheets while it is still warm. Once it cools it will crumble and become unworkable. So, while you'll bake 6 cookies per sheet, you'll f orm all sheets as soon as the dough is cool enough to handle. I think you're going to love them. I have a cookie monster, now in his 7th decade, who lives in my house and shares my table. I have to hide these f rom him because, lef t to his own devices, he will eat them all in a day or two. T hese are really good, so instead of talking, let's preheat the oven and get to it. Florentines...f rom the kitchen of One Perf ect Bite

Ingredients: 1/2 cup ground almonds (about 2-oz.) 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup f irmly-packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/3 cup all-purpose f lour Pinch salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Watch a Video f or Cinnamon Glazed Walnuts Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position two oven racks in the middle and upper third of oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 2) In a f ood processor, grind almonds f inely; measure out 1/2 cup and set aside. It is also possible to buy ground almonds f or use in this recipe. 3) In a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and corn syrup until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring of ten. Increase the heat to medium high and, stirring constantly, bring mixture JUST to a boil. Immediately remove pan f rom the heat and stir in f lour and salt until incorporated. Stir in ground almonds and vanilla extract. 4) Drop batter using a teaspoon, 3-inches apart, on prepared cookie sheets (about 1/2 dozen cookies per cookie sheet). Prepare all your pans of cookies at this time even though you are only going to bake 1 or 2 sheets at a time. 5) Bake cookies until evenly light brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes until cookies spread, become thin, and take on a deep golden color. If you are using 2 cookie sheets switch top to bottom and back to f ront at 5 minute mark to promote even baking. Cookies will begin to spread 6 minutes into baking time. 6) Line wire cooling racks with plastic wrap. When cookies are done baking, remove cookies f rom oven and, as soon as they're f irm enough to lif t of f baking sheet (which will take just a f ew minutes), use a wide spatula to transf er them to prepared cooling racks to cool completely. Allowing cookies to cool slightly on cookie sheets will also cause them to f latten out more. NOT E: If cookies become too cold and hard to remove f rom baking sheet without shattering them, replace pan in the oven to sof ten the cookies again. Bake remaining cookies; batter will have f irmed up a bit, but that is f ine. Store f lat cookies between sheets of parchment paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-f itting lid. Yield: 25 to 30 cookies. T his recipe is being linked to: Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday