Chocolate-Dipped Florentines with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Thin nut-and-dried-fruit cookies bound with honey caramel and finished in dark chocolate.
These Florentines combine toasted almonds and other nuts with chopped apricots and cranberries. The source uses a rich honey, sugar and butter mixture to bind them, so make small, evenly sized mounds on a lined tray and allow generous space for spreading. Toast the nuts just until fragrant before stirring them into the warm syrup. Watch the second bake carefully: the edges can move from golden to dark quickly because of the sugar. Let each round cool fully before trying to lift it; the caramel firms as it cools. Melt the dark chocolate gently and coat the flat undersides after the cookies are cool. Put them chocolate-side up until the coating sets.
Recipe card
Chocolate-Dipped Florentines with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Equipment: Two lined baking trays, saucepan, spoon
Ingredients
Instructions
Toast nuts
Heat oven to 180°C and toast almonds and mixed nuts 8–10 minutes until fragrant; mix with dried fruit.
Make syrup
Warm butter, honey and sugar gently until dissolved and bubbling, then add vanilla and salt.
Portion
Combine syrup with nut mixture and spoon small spaced rounds onto lined trays.
Bake and cool
Bake 8–10 minutes until edges are golden, then cool fully on trays until firm.
Chocolate
Melt dark chocolate gently, coat undersides and let set before storing.
How to tell when it is ready
Rounds golden and firm once cooled; chocolate coating set.
Tips
- Toast nuts only until fragrant.
- Make small mounds.
- Leave room to spread.
- Lift only after cool.
Troubleshooting
- If rounds spread together, make portions smaller and space further.
- If soft when warm, cool completely before judging doneness.
Substitutions
- Replace some almonds with similarly chopped nuts.
- Use another tart dried fruit in the same amount as cranberries.
Variations
- Use an alternative chopped nut mix.
- Drizzle extra chocolate over the tops.
Serving suggestions
- Serve with espresso.
- Add to a dessert platter.
- Offer with tea.
- Pack between parchment for gifting.
Make ahead
Prepare ingredients ahead and keep perishable items cold until cooking or serving.
Storage
Store cool and airtight with parchment between layers up to 5 days.
Food safety
Hot sugar syrup can burn skin; cool cookies before handling and keep away from young children during cooking.
Frequently asked questions
Why are warm Florentines soft?
The sugar sets as they cool; leave them on the tray until firm.
How should I store chocolate-dipped almond florentines?
Store cool and airtight with parchment between layers up to 5 days.
Wait for the chocolate to set before stacking.
More recipes to try
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