Florentine biscuits recipe: How to make Florentine biscuits

Florentine biscuits recipe: How to make Florentine biscuits

09/29/2020

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The Great British Bake Off saw the remaining contestants bake chocolate florentines for one of their challenges in the tent. The bakers had to make 36 identical chocolate florentines to be judged by renowned bakers Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.

Prue made it clear these tricky biscuits were all about the snap, and one baker even bagged herself the first Hollywood handshake of the season.

Lottie Bedlow, 31, was the first baker of this year’s GBBO to receive the coveted handshake from judge Paul Hollywood for her ‘Quarantine Florentines’.

Speaking to host Noel Fielding after the intense moment Lottie said: “‘I felt nothing, I just felt very shocked.

“I’m not dead inside, I just went numb! I didn’t know what was happening.”

Read More: Great British Bake Off contestant slaps down Noel Fielding over error

The Great British Bake Off may have inspired you to get into the kitchen and bake yourself, and you can have a go at making florentines yourself with the recipe below.

Florentines are a sweet biscuit made up of nuts and fruit and dipped in chocolate.

Usually hazelnuts and almonds are used, as well as candied cherries for a crumbly crisp biscuit.

However you can add whichever spices, nuts and fruit you think will taste nice!

Florentine recipe, courtesy of BBC Good Food

Ingredients

  • For the biscuit base
  • 175g slightly salted butter, softened
  • 85g golden caster sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

For the Florentine topping

  • 50g butter
  • 50g light brown soft sugar
  • 50g golden syrup
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 50g plain flour
  • 75g glacé cherries, chopped
  • 75g flaked almonds
  • 150g dark chocolate, chopped

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Method

To make the biscuits, put the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until creamy.

Add the flour and cinnamon, and combine with a spatula to make a soft dough.

Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least one hour.

Next, in a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup and salt.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour, then stir in the cherries and almonds. Set aside to cool and firm up a little.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Then, tip the dough onto a floured work surface and roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin.

Using a six centimetre fluted cookie cutter, stamp out as many circles as you can, then scrunch up the trimmings, re-roll and stamp out some more.

Transfer to the baking sheet, and spoon some of the Florentine mixture onto each biscuit until it’s all used up. Bake on the middle shelf for 12 to 15 mins until the biscuits are golden and the topping has melted.

Leave to cool on the sheet for at least 15 mins. While the biscuits cool, melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of gently simmering water, or in short bursts in the microwave.

Stir every 30 secs or so to ensure it doesn’t burn.

Dip each biscuit about a third of the way into the chocolate, then return to the sheet to set.

You may need to spoon the chocolate over the final few.

These biscuits will keep for up to four days in a sealed container.

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