One year when Ben and I were visiting my parents in Michigan, my whole family spent a winter afternoon in the Gaslight Village of downtown East Grand Rapids. There were quaint little shops, ice cream parlors, luxury condos, and then we happened upon a small little bakery. Because we were full from ice cream, no one bought anything until these delicate little cookies caught my eye, the Chocolate Florentines.
I loved the sweet honey/pecan taste combined with the semi-sweet chocolate flavor and instantly knew that I had to find a recipe for these! After searching the Internet, I found one... unfortunately, I can't remember where. But, the important thing is that I found a recipe and a very good one!
Some people make these with almonds, but I make mine with pecans. They just have a much sweet taste with the pecans, and in fact I don't like them at all if they are made with almonds. But, that of course is up to your own preference. The recipe also says to use ring molds. I do not have any ring molds, so I just drop the tablespoons like regular cookies on the cookie sheet, then slightly flatten them. I do not put as many servings on a sheet as regular cookies and I keep them at least 2 inches apart since they spread pretty flat.
I forgot to take pictures of the non-chocolate side of the cookie. If you Google "chocolate florentine" you will find some more images. Eventually I would like to get ring molds and make cute designs out of the chocolate to enhance the presentation.
Serving Size: 36
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons butter
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 cups chopped pecans
½ cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a heavy saucepan, bring butter, sugar, honey, and cream to a rolling boil. Stir in pecans and oats and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until batter thickens slightly and smells of toasted pecans. Take mixture off heat and let cool. Line cookie sheet with parchment or aluminum foil. Spoon cooled batter into each ring mold (approximately 1 tablespoon sized balls). Gently press to slightly flatten. Cookies will flatten completely while baking. Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes or golden brown around the edges. Melt chocolate chips while allowing cookies to cool, and finish by spreading back of cookies with a thin layer of melted chocolate.
Cool to allow chocolate to harden.
