Chocolate Florentine Sandwich Cookies
Thin, crisp, and delicate French Florentine cookies with citrusy orange notes, sandwiched with a coffee-flavored chocolate filling.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
½cup
salt
½tsp
unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
¾cup (1½)
granulated sugar
1 cup
heavy cream
¾cup
honey
¼cup
blanched sliced almonds
1⅓cup
candied orange peel (diced)
¼cup
orange zest (finely grated)
½tsp
vanilla extract
1 tsp
dark chocolate (coarsely chopped)
8oz
strong brewed coffee
3 tbsp
unsalted butter
4 tbsp (½)
Instructions
1
Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets
Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F (160°C). Grease two baking sheets and dust with flour.
2
Mix dry ingredients
In a small bowl, stir the flour and salt until well combined; set aside.
3
Make cookie batter
In a medium deep saucepan, mix the butter, sugar, cream, and honey. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Add the flour mixture, almonds, candied orange peel, and orange zest, and bring to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
4
Bake Florentine cookies
Scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets with a teaspoon, leaving at least 2.5 inches of space between cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden; the cookies will not be set yet and may still be bubbling. Cool on the baking sheets on a wire rack for 3 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat this step with the remaining batter.
5
Make chocolate filling
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth. Let the filling cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally during this time.
6
Assemble cookies
Use a small metal spatula or the back of a spoon to spread about one teaspoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie. Press the bottom of a second cookie onto the filling, pressing the two cookies together to form a sandwich. Repeat this step with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate the assembled cookies for about 3 minutes, or until the filling is set.
