You’ll love these crispy, chewy and buttery Florentine biscuits. Filled with dried fruit, flaked almonds and Corn Flakes for a crunchy Aussie twist, they are held together with sticky caramel and baked until golden and crisp. The finishing touch is dipping the bases in rich dark chocolate for the ultimate indulgence!
Crunchy, chewy, buttery and sweet, these delectable Florentine cookies will become your new favourite biscuit recipe!
What Are Florentine Biscuits (Or Cookies)?
Florentine's are thin, sweet and crispy biscuits made with dried or candied fruits and nuts (usually flaked almonds), tossed through a sticky caramel mix. Baked until golden and crisp, they are then cooled and dipped or drizzled with melted chocolate for the perfect finishing touch.
When made flat and thin, Florentine biscuits are sometimes called ‘lace cookies’ for their delicate see-through appearance. However, my version is a little thicker, chewy and chunky, with the addition of Corn Flakes for a little Aussie flair. Corn Flakes add extra crunch and flavour and when combined with the buttery caramel - they taste absolutely divine!
Florentine biscuits come together quickly and easily and there’s no special equipment needed to make them. Their nutty and caramel flavours make them impossible to resist and their shelf-life makes them great for gifting during the holidays!
Looking for more scrumptious biscuit recipes? Try these Chocolate Chip Cornflake Cookies, Almond and Choc Chip ANZAC biscuits, or simple Twix Cookies!
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make – no mixers, no resting time required. A simple mix and bake recipe that requires only 10 minutes of prep time.
- Easy ingredients – a handful of simple pantry staples including cereal, sugar and dried fruits.
- They’re so good! Crispy, chewy and sweet with a nutty-caramel flavour that you will find hard to resist!
- Suitable for any occasion – Florentine biscuits are perfect for bake sales, for gifting over the holidays or to enjoy yourself at home with a cuppa.
- Conventional and Thermomix - this recipe can be made conventionally or in a Thermomix. You will find both the conventional and Thermomix methods in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
What You Need
Whilst Florentine's look quite decadent, they are made with simple ingredients and take little time to prepare and bake - ready in less than half an hour!
- Butter – use regular, unsalted butter. Real butter helps to set and hold the Florentines together, so I don’t recommend swapping it for dairy blends or margarine.
- Caster sugar – also called superfine sugar. Caster sugar forms the caramel syrup that binds the cookies together and adds sweetness.
- Honey – for flavour and to bind ingredients together. Alternatively, rice malt syrup or golden syrup can be used.
- Plain flour – just a tablespoon required to form the thin batter mix.
- Corn Flakes – (also called Cornflakes) are a breakfast cereal made by toasting flakes of corn (maize). While usually enjoyed with milk, they also make a great addition to baked treats like biscuits and honey joys. When baked, they become extra crispy and crunchy, which is what we want these biscuits to be! I recommend Kellogg’s Cornflakes, but any similar generic brand can be used.
- Flaked almonds – almonds that have been blanched and shaved into thin flakes. They can be found in supermarkets, grocers and health stores.
- Fruit – a mix of sultanas, glace cherries and orange zest for flavour and chewy texture. Dried apricots or cranberries could also be used.
- Chocolate – for the best balance of flavour, use dark chocolate - 45% cocoa and above work great! Milk chocolate can also be used if preferred. Whichever chocolate you choose, make sure it’s a good quality one that you like to eat!
Equipment Required
A large, microwave-safe bowl is required to melt the caramel mixture and then combine the remaining ingredients.
2 flat baking trays are used to bake the biscuits. Alternatively, they can be made in muffin tins (and this helps them to keep their shape). If you make them in a muffin tin, the bases will need to be lined with a little baking paper and oil spray to prevent sticking.
A 10cm cookie cutter or egg ring is recommended to help shape the biscuits, but this is not essential.
This recipe can also be made in a Thermomix.
Step by Step Instructions
These delicate yet crunchy Florentine biscuits make a beautiful gift to surprise someone with!
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
Step 1 - Make The Caramel
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line 2 baking trays.
Place the butter, caster sugar, honey and flour in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Heat gently in the microwave (on 50% power) until the sugar has started to dissolve.
*This step can also be completed in a saucepan or Thermomix.
Step 2 - Make The Biscuit Batter
Add the Corn Flakes, flaked almonds, glace cherries, sultanas and orange zest.
Mix gently until ingredients are well combined.
Step 3 - Bake
Spray a 10cm round cutter with a light coating of oil spray. This helps to prevent sticking and the mixture spilling.
Using the cutter as a guide, add a tablespoon of mixture at a time to the lined trays, until you have 12 biscuits - 6 on each tray.
** Be sure to leave space between each biscuit, as they will spread!
Bake until the biscuits are lightly golden (keep an eye on them so they don't overcook and become too brittle).
Allow the biscuits to cool completely on the tray and then dip the bases into melted dark chocolate.
Expert Tips
- Florentine biscuits will seem soft and loose when they first come out of the oven, but they will harden and set as they cool.
- Careful measuring/weighing of the ingredients is important for success.
- Florentine's spread as they bake. Be sure to allow enough space in between each one so that they don’t merge together in the oven.
- If you want your Florentine biscuits to be evenly shaped, you can also bake them in a muffin tin lined with a little baking paper and a coating of light oil spray.
- Don’t overcook them. Keep a close eye on them around the 13-minute mark. We want them to be light-golden in colour and firm with a crunchy ‘snap’, but overbaking them will either burn them or make them too hard and brittle.
- If they spread too much on the tray, you can correct this by using the cookie cutter to gently shape them back into a circular shape while they're still hot.
- Be sure to use baking paper to line your tray, or your biscuits will stick!
- Use real butter rather than margarine or dairy blends for Florentine biscuits. Butter substitutions won’t brown or set as nicely.
FAQ's
Store the cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature in a cupboard or a cool, dry place. While best eaten in the first 1-2 days, they will keep this way for 1-2 weeks. If storing them in a small container, separate any layers with baking paper to prevent sticking.
Florentine biscuits can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. They will only take a few minutes to defrost and be ready to eat!
Note: the Corn Flakes will soften slightly on defrosting.
Related Recipes
Looking for more simple and delicious cookies or biscuits? These recipes are for you!
Florentine Biscuits
Ingredients
- 50 g butter
- 55 g (¼ cup) caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey or rice malt syrup/golden syrup
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 20 g (¾ cup) Corn Flakes
- 65 g (¾ cup) flaked almonds
- 50 g (¼ cup) glace cherries quartered
- 40 g (¼ cup) sultanas
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 100 g chocolate dark or milk, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Line 2 flat baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
- Place the butter, caster sugar, honey and flour into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, until the butter has melted and the sugar has started to dissolve. Alternatively you can use a saucepan and stovetop for this step. If using a Thermomix - melt the ingredients for 3 minutes, 60 degrees, Speed 2 (or until melted).
- Add the Corn Flakes, flaked almonds, glace cherries, sultanas and orange zest and mix until well combined. If using a Thermomix - add the Corn Flakes, flaked almonds, glace cherries, sultanas and orange zest and mix on Reverse, Speed 1 until combined (using the spatula to help mix).
- Spray a small 10cm round cutter with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Place the cutter onto the baking tray and add a large tablespoon of the mixture. Spread out. Carefully remove the cutter and repeat with the remaining mixture. Note: if you don't have a cutter, you can simply place spoonfuls of mixture directly onto the baking tray.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside to cool completely (the biscuits will harden as they cool).
- Once cooled, spread the melted chocolate onto the base of the biscuits and place into the fridge to set.
Notes
- The Florentines will seem soft and loose when they first come out of the oven, but they will harden and set as they cool.
- Careful measuring/weighing of the ingredients is important for success.
- Florentine biscuits spread as they bake. So be sure to allow enough space in between each one so that they don’t merge together in the oven.
- If you want your biscuits to be evenly shaped, you can also bake them in a muffin tin lined with a little baking paper and a coating of light oil spray.
- Don’t overcook them. Keep a close eye on them around the 13-minute mark. We want them to be firm with a crunchy ‘snap’, but overbaking them will either burn them or make them too hard and brittle.
- If they spread too much on the tray, you can fix them by using the cookie cutter to gently shape them while hot.
- Be sure to use baking paper to line your tray, or your biscuits will stick!
- Use real butter rather than margarine or dairy blends. Butter substitutions won’t brown or set as nicely.
- Storage - store the cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place. While best eaten in the first 1-2 days, they will keep this way for 1-2 weeks. If storing them in a small container, separate any layers with baking paper to prevent sticking.
- Freezing - Florentine biscuits can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. They will only take a few minutes to defrost, however the cornflakes will have softened after freezing.
Leave a Reply