Layering up for this déjà vu rainstorm: caramelized trail mix, shortbread and dark chocolate. # 293: Florentines

I’ve had florentines on my to-bake list for literal years and never managed to convince myself to do it. They always seemed a little too close to a granola bar for me, even with their cute chocolate squiggle design. Then I was flipping through my sister’s Bouchon Bakery book and boom they solved the problem: shortbread! Or shortcrust pastry (same same but thinner).

When looking into florentine recipes, there’s a whole range of textures:

• You have Bouchon’s take, which are decadent and chewy and thicc with the addition of pâté sucrée. Yes please.
• There’s the version I got used to seeing on Great British Bake Off, which are moderately thick and full of numerous types of nuts and dried fruit.
• And last but not least, and seemingly the most common recipe results in a google search, you have the thin lacey almond wafers. These are my Dad’s favorite and I grew up calling them lace cookies. Fun fact: they’re weirdly delicious frozen, which you only find out when you buy the enormous tub from Costco and then get home and realize what you’ve done. But I digress.

I typically like to find the source or the classic recipe, but florentines seem to attract chaos. The only common threads I can find are the use of almonds and binding them together with a toffee/caramel. With that in mind, I went with Bouchon’s suggested of pistachios and sliced almonds, but swapped out the candied orange peel for currants and orange zest.

Ahem also: introducing the cutest pain aux raisins! I’m sure Jellycat’s line of pastry plushies was meant for children but I literally could not resist. He’s the kitchen mascot I never knew I needed!

Almond flour is the sneaky MVP of this pastry.

Ok so I didn’t have time to bring my butter to room temperature, and didn’t want to try the more complicated warming option the recipe suggested… enter mini blow torch!

It worked beautifully! Look how fluffy that butter is. *chef’s kiss*

Yummy sand.

A full moon of dough, off to sleep in the fridge overnight.

*snaps fingers and it’s the next day* Morning! We’re already rollin.

I’d be very impressed if you have glucose syrup in your pantry, but for us plebeians corn syrup works just fine.

Caramel bubble bath.

It may look like granola, but it’s got a secret.

I aimed for slightly under-done because chewy > crispy.

Golden buttery goodness.

Nathan’s dish scraper is a perfect chocolate squiggle maker! I promise I washed it thoroughly.

I’m writing this before dinner like a FOOL and now all I want are cookies.

I mean, c’mon.

He needs a name. Something as jaunty as his little leg kick while he reclines on his chocolate pastry throne.

Happy munching!