Ingredients
3/4 c. (105 g.) whole blanched almonds
1/4 c. (30 g.) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
1/2 c. (105 g.) packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. (55 g.) heavy cream
1/4 c. (50 g.) granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. (170 g.) chocolate chips, melted (optional)
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely chopped but not so fine they turn into flour. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in flour and salt.Step 2In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, brown sugar, cream, and granulated sugar, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Whisk in dry ingredients, then let cool 5 minutes. Step 3Using a teaspoon measuring spoon, spoon batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3" apart. Step 4Bake until golden and batter has spread into a lacey pattern, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Peel cookies from parchment, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely (they will continue to crisp as they cool). Step 5If desired, spread backs of cookies with chocolate or drizzle over tops. Refrigerate to harden chocolate, about 20 minutes.Step 6Make Ahead: Cookies can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Each cookie only uses a teaspoon of batter, which might look wrong at first, but they spread quite a bit in the oven into thin, lacey disks. Florentine cookies often include candied orange or orange zest and often a mix of hazelnuts and almonds, while this recipe just features the almonds. A little orange zest added to these cookies would be delicious! The chocolate on these lace cookies is totally optional too. Either spread the bottoms with a slick of chocolate or give the tops a light drizzle. For sweet and salty lovers, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on before the chocolate sets! Pro tip: The cookies need at least 5 minutes to cool on the pan before removing them. If you try before then, they won’t be set and you’ll probably feel like they’re stuck on forever. As the cookies cool, they harden, making it a breeze to peel off the parchment paper. Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen, with a piece a parchment between each cookie and in a freezer-safe container, for up to 3 months. Have you made these yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
