Spiderweb Florentines: A Web of Sweetness
I was inspired to make these easy Florentine cookies by Martha Stewart when I spotted her beautiful spiderweb design in the October issue of her magazine. This tasty Florentine cookies are an elegant Halloween treat to entertain with, both spooky and delicious!
Florentine Cookies
A Florentine biscuit is a thin and crispy cookie typically made with some kind of nut flour and honey. While honey almond Florentine cookies are common, this recipe is actually made with ground pecans instead of ground almonds.
The pecans add a slightly different flavor, more fall-centric, in my opinion. I also feel that pecans add a stronger fragrance to baked goods than almonds. Before the cookies have even baked, you can smell the heavenly aroma of the toasted pecans.
Lacey Cookies
These gourmet cookies can honestly be made any time of the year, but their shape and appearance make them especially wonderful for Halloween.
I say that because these Florentine lace cookies are thin and, as the description implies, lace-like. They have little gaps all throughout that make them look like a spider web.
And while these aren’t chocolate Florentine cookies, they’ve got an irresistible drizzle of chocolate ganache on them to elaborate the spiderweb look.
Florentine Recipe
I love how delicate and crisp these cookies are, a welcome change to the chewy cookies I typically make. They have not only have a nutty flavor from the pecans used to create them but they smell and taste like a gorgeous, cinnamon-sugar concoction.
Martha Stewart created this Florentine recipe for 22 cookies, but I cut the ingredients in half and got about 10 cookies for the final product. The actual Florentine cookies are very easy to whip up and bake.
The patience and creativity in these spiderweb Florentine cookies comes from the chocolate artwork that’s painted on top. That said, I still feel like they’re worth the effort because you’re left with sweet and adorable Halloween cookies!
Florentine Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 c pecans, toasted
- 1 tbsp old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp packed light-brown sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Sprinkle of salt
- Sprinkle of ground cinnamon
for the chocolate ganache
- 1/4 c milk or heavy cream
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
- Pour pecans onto a baking sheet and bake at 425°F for a few minutes. Toss them into your food processor, along with the quick oats. Pulse the mixture until the nuts and oats turn into a fine, ground mixture.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, add in sugar and honey. Stir until sugars dissolve and mixture comes to a simmer.
- Remove mixture from heat and add in the ground pecans/oats, all-purpose flour, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of salt. Stir until combined and transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes to firm up. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- After the 30 minutes are up, take out the bowl and you’ll see that your liquid-y batter has become dough-like. Scoop 2 teaspoons of the dough, mounting one on top of the other, onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Mold and flatten the dough into almost 2 inch diameter circles. Space each circle out about 3 inches apart.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until florentines are golden throughout. Allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before moving them onto a plate.
- For the ganache, heat the milk/cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until the edges of the milk/cream bubble. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chocolate until it’s melted and combined.
- Use a pastry bag or thin paint brush to paint chocolate rings, starting from the outside of the cookie. Then, paint diagonal lines starting from the center of the cookie and make your way outward to the edge of the cookie. Blot the center of the cookie with chocolate.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 10 cookiesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 105
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