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Crisp, but smooth, light but indulgent, there’s something about Florentine Lace Cookies that makes you stop and basque in that bite and in that moment. These cookies go by many names, and they were staple cookies in the local bakery’s cookie case near me for ages. Luckily, these cookies are super simple to make and come together for you to enjoy in no time.
As the name might suggest, this type of cookie originated in Florence Italy, but the more you dig, the more you find this cookie popping up in countless countries. Even if the Florentine Lace Cookie has a hodge-podge crazy quilt for an origin story, the cookie itself never changes. It’s a golden paper-thin cookie made with butter, nuts, sugar, cream, and syrup.
Here, this cookie base is comprised of butter, light brown sugar, almond flour, and salt. Binding ingredients like corn syrup and an egg white hold everything together, and a heavy splash of vanilla gives it a punch of flavor.
After melting the butter and sugar, bring it to a boil.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and whisk in the almond flour and salt. Let the mixture cool for five minutes before adding in the vanilla and egg white. Once all of the cookie ingredients make it into the bowl, let the batter cool for an additional ten minutes.
Spoon small (and I mean small!) portions of the batter onto a parchment and bake for seven to nine minutes.
As the cookies are cooling, you can melt the chocolate. Here, I used white chocolate (just like the bakery I remember going to), but you can use milk or dark chocolate.
After carefully sandwiching the chocolate between two cookies, let the chocolate harden up before serving. You can speed the hardening process up by placing the tray of cookies in the refrigerator for ten to fifteen minutes.
A single bit of these cookies, and you’ll be wondering where they’ve been all of your life. The cookie is crisp, and the chocolate is creamy, making for a best of both worlds. These are great because they require little cooling time, and the batter only needs a little bit of rest.
When you try the recipe, you might be turning on your oven more often, they’re that good!
Florentine Lace Cookies
Diet: Gluten-Free
For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup or honey
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
For the Filling:
- 8 ounces dark, milk, or white chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the Cookies:
- Melt butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in brown sugar and corn syrup.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer the hot butter-sugar mixture to a heat safe bowl and add in almond flour and salt.
- Let mixture cool for 5 minutes and then add in vanilla and egg white, whisking to combine.
- Let the cookie batter rest for 10 minutes. While the batter is resting, preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 to 3 large cookie trays with parchment paper, set aside.
- Use a teaspoon (not a table or soup spoon) to scoop and portion out the cookies, spacing cookies 3-inches apart (the cookies will spread while baking).
- Bake for 7 to 9 minutes until golden around the edges. The butter near the edges and center will be bubbling up as the cookies bake, this is okay!
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will dry and crispy up as they cool.
To make the filling:
- Combine chocolate and cream in a heat-safe bowl and microwave in 45-second intervals, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes until it is thickened but still spreadable.
- Spread the cooled down chocolate mixture onto one cookie and sandwich another cookie on top.
- Serve and enjoy. These cookies last for 3 days at room temperature or a week refrigerated in an airtight container.
Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest.