The first time I tasted Florentines was in the late 1970s. The husband of a family friend kept a pile in his cookie jar and it was always such a treat when we visited. I'm not sure which bakery he bought them from, but they were they size of my hand and, with an assortment of dried fruits, nuts and rich chocolate coating, they were seriously good.
However, they were also rock solid and, as such, a bit hard to bite into. 'Tooth Crackers', I call them. I've eaten some other 'tooth cracker' biscuits over the years, regretting it instantly when I felt that certain crunch, knowing in my gut that the little nugget I just chomped into wasn't part of the biscuit! Ouch! This unplanned activity has kept my dentist, Dr Fang (true), happy for a time. Needless to say, I've been longing to experiment with my own version of Florentines that are kinder to the teeth.
So, on to my Florentine recipe. I dipped into several of my cookbooks, as well as a few online recipes to find a good base of ingredients as a guide. Some recipes call for honey and flour, while others use condensed milk as the binding agent. I decided to use unsalted cultured butter and allowed the butter to caramelise or burn slightly on one or two test batches.
Given the season and our recent trip interstate for the Cherry Festival, I'm still in the midst of a cherry adventure. At a roadside stall owned by the Batinich family's Cherrymore Orchard on Wombat Road, I found packets of dried pitted preservative free cherries for sale and knew they'd be perfect in my Florentines. I had made a couple of batches with dried cranberries/craisins and they were very good, but with my newly discovered dried cherries, they're even better! One little word of caution, watch out for the occasional pip! 'Why do you put the chocolate over the top?' Peter asked, 'It should be on the bottom.' I explained that I like my Florentines that way. Another reason was that the 'biscuits' seem to hold their shape better this way. I noted too that some recipes call for metal rings to keep the mixture in a circular mould, whereas others suggested using a palette knife to pull the mixture back into shape while still warm from the oven, but before drizzling with chocolate. The method I've shown here results in a more homely style of Florentine, that Peter and I have rated in the 'seriously good' category. Given my man's important question about the chocolate on the top versus chocolate on the bottom, I plan to experiment over my upcoming January holidays and will report back with additional recipes for you (and Peter) to try. In the meantime, if you have a great recipe for Florentines, please share it with me.
FLORENTINES A LA LIZZY
2 cups cornflakes, gluten free if preferred 1/2 cup sultanas 1 cup flaked or slivered almonds 100g dried pitted cherries (or cranberries) 1/2 cup caster sugar 100g unsalted butter 250g dark chocolate Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. Prepare a 1/2 cup muffin tray by placing large paper liners into the holes. Alternatively, place 15 paper liners onto a baking sheet. Combine the cornflakes, sultanas, almonds and cherries in a bowl and mix well. Melt the butter and sugar in a small saucepan. (In one batch, I deliberately tried allowing the butter to caramelise slightly, for a yummy burnt butter taste. It was good). Add the melted butter/sugar mixture to the other ingredients and fold through, coating thoroughly. Spoon equal amounts into the paper liners. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over a saucepan of simmering water. Drizzle the chocolate over the Florentines in zig zag fashion. Refrigerate and serve chilled, in or out of the liners. Makes 15 or so. Will store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. The process in pictures...Think you can stop at just one?
Have you ever bitten into a 'tooth cracker' sweet? Tell me about it.
31 Comments
19/12/2012 06:19:21 pm
Aaah! The good 'ol Florentine! Love what you have done here using the dried cherries....I just love cherries! All the best for the festive season too!
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Lizzy
19/12/2012 07:23:05 pm
Peter, thank you so much... I didn't realise the dried cherries would be quite so very delicious... definitely going to play some more with this recipe. And Kala Hristouyienna to you too, my friend.
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Lizzy
20/12/2012 05:12:34 pm
Thank you, lovely! And to you and yours too xox
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20/12/2012 09:29:02 am
i would find it very hard to stop at one!
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Lizzy
20/12/2012 05:13:19 pm
Hello there... sounds yummy... do tell the name of the bakery in Burnie, I'd love to visit it sometime. Season's eatings to you too and thank you for always visiting ; )
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Lizzy
20/12/2012 05:13:46 pm
Thanks Jane! Seriously easy too. Merry Christmas to you and yours my friend xo
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20/12/2012 10:22:44 am
I just love the rustic look of these Lizzy!
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Lizzy
20/12/2012 05:14:10 pm
They are rustic and so simple, Christie. But delicious! Merry Christmas xox
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Lizzy
20/12/2012 05:14:28 pm
That's the spirit, Glenda. Merry Christmas lovely xo
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20/12/2012 07:43:44 pm
I have never seen Florentines made with cornflakes but that certainly sounds more interesting than plain old flour. I too use dried cherries, sour ones, but sadly we don't grow enough here for me to get them as a local product, so lucky you! And you are too funny about tooth crackers and Dr Fang ps I am chocolate on the bottom girl (not literally you understand) x
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Lizzy
22/12/2012 03:20:55 am
LOL Kellie... I understand. The cornflake version is quite delicious... you can buy them in supermarkets too, but they are expensive and a little rock solid as well. This version is much better. Wishing you a very happy Christmas, my friend xo
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Lizzy
22/12/2012 03:21:23 am
Thank you Laura, and wishing you all the best for a happy Christmas. Thanks for stopping by, xox
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29/11/2013 08:22:21 pm
G'day These look wonderful Lizzy, I could go for one right now, true!
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Lizzy
16/12/2013 08:46:24 am
Thanks Joanne... they are delicious : )
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Lizzy
16/12/2013 08:46:58 am
Maureen, thank you... I will make some for you someday xoxox
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Louisa
29/6/2014 07:50:52 pm
Thank you for the non-condensed milk alternative, using butter instead. I reduced the sugar and added a little honey. I used the bottom of a jar, with the same width as the base of the silicon muffin pan, and tamped down the paper case to give a nice, flat base.I reduced temperature to 150 degrees and increased time by 2 minutes to give me a paler finish. Biggest problem: waiting for them to properly cool and firm up before eating!! Yum!
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Lizzy
30/6/2014 02:20:30 pm
My pleasure Louisa! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!
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Lizzy
3/9/2016 07:18:22 pm
Awwww, that's my absolute pleasure. Happy Father's Day xxx
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Roxanne
9/6/2017 11:10:21 pm
I have just finished making these and they are a total disaster - they haven't bonded together!!!
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Lizzy
10/6/2017 02:33:50 am
Roxanne, I'm truly sorry that the recipe didn't work out for you. Perhaps you didn't give them enough time? I have made them countless times, as have other readers, who have come back and told me they were the best. Not quite sure what went wrong for you, but I've never had a problem reported previously.
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Dee
13/6/2017 01:51:01 pm
Always a winner at my place. My kids love your recipe.
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Simone Mason
13/6/2017 01:52:14 pm
Hi Lizzie. I made your florentines & love the taste. I agree, the worse part is waiting for them to set. But once they have, they're really yumm.
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12/6/2018 04:20:50 am
I have linked your recipe in a comment on my blog. My daughter and I make Florentines together when we can.
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12/6/2018 04:28:00 am
4 days! You're joking! They'd not last me 1. Perhaps that's why I'm not chancing making them any time soon. :) :) On a visit from Brian at Bushboy. I commented on his crispy cornflake cakes photo and he corrected me and gave me this link. However, I wasn't wrong- they are simply posh, and very delicious looking cornflake cakes. I had a Polish Dad, Lizzy, so I understand we might have something in common.
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Donna McMahon
23/9/2018 05:34:35 am
I was searching for a recipe without condensed milk. I come form Young & know the large Batinich family. They grow beautiful cherries. This is a lovely recommendation for them!
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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