Sweet Orange Florentines
I really, really want you to make these. These are the best cookies I've ever tasted, seriously!
And I know you're going to see the anise extract in the recipe and say, "Ew, licorice," but DON'T BE LIKE THAT. I actually HATE licorice flavor, but the anise extract here is just enough to give an amazing depth to the orange, not enough to make the cookies licoricey. I promise.
These cookies are so different than drop cookies and were therefore a fun new experience for me. Make sure you only use a teaspoon of mixture for each cookie even if it looks tiny, because they spread out into the beautiful lace you see below.
By the way, in terms of finding anise extract, I found mine at Super Wal-Mart in the grocery section, but some grocery stores also sell it over by the vanilla extract. I wouldn't leave it out.
Sweet Orange Florentines
Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: about 15 sandwich cookies
These are the best cookies I've ever tasted, seriously! Don't be afraid of the anise extract -- I hate licorice flavor, but the anise extract here is just enough to give an amazing depth to the orange flavor, not enough to make the cookies licoricey. These cookies are so different than drop cookies -- make sure you only use a teaspoon of mixture for each cookie even if it looks tiny, because they spread out into the beautiful lace you see above. They're easy and a lot of fun to bake!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3/8 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
About 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from about 1/2 orange)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/8 cup sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon anise extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the almonds and macadamia nuts together until finely chopped without letting them form a paste. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, orange zest, salt, and finely chopped nuts.
In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, cream, honey, and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue cooking the mixture for about a minute before removing it from the heat and adding the vanilla extract and anise extract. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture until it's combined and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Once the mixture is cool enough to touch, use a teaspoon measure to scoop up 1 teaspoon of batter at a time and roll them into balls. Place these balls on your prepared baking sheets at least 4 inches apart -- don't skimp on this distance, because the cookies will spread a lot as they form their "lace." Flatten the balls into discs. Bake one pan of cookies at a time, rotating once halfway through the baking time, until they are thin, lacy, and golden brown, about 6-7 minutes (this is one of those cookies where you inevitably burn the first pan and then get the hang of it, so don't fret. Just keep a close eye on them). Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them with a thin spatula to a cooling rack. Repeat until all cookies are baked.
In the meantime, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave according to package instructions (usually half-power, in small increments, stirring often.) Carefully spread a very thin layer of white chocolate (just a whisp or they'll be too sweet) on the bottom of one cooled cookie and top it with another to form a thin sandwich. Place these on wax or parchment paper to dry (you can stick them in the refrigerator to speed up the drying process). Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days in an air-tight container with layers separated by wax paper.
To ready my goodbye letter to a sweet friend, read about why I'm terrified of drowning (okay, that sounds obvious, but there's extra background justification for my fear!), and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!
x-posted to food_porn, cooking, picturing_food, and bakebakebake
And I know you're going to see the anise extract in the recipe and say, "Ew, licorice," but DON'T BE LIKE THAT. I actually HATE licorice flavor, but the anise extract here is just enough to give an amazing depth to the orange, not enough to make the cookies licoricey. I promise.
These cookies are so different than drop cookies and were therefore a fun new experience for me. Make sure you only use a teaspoon of mixture for each cookie even if it looks tiny, because they spread out into the beautiful lace you see below.
By the way, in terms of finding anise extract, I found mine at Super Wal-Mart in the grocery section, but some grocery stores also sell it over by the vanilla extract. I wouldn't leave it out.
Sweet Orange Florentines
Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: about 15 sandwich cookies
These are the best cookies I've ever tasted, seriously! Don't be afraid of the anise extract -- I hate licorice flavor, but the anise extract here is just enough to give an amazing depth to the orange flavor, not enough to make the cookies licoricey. These cookies are so different than drop cookies -- make sure you only use a teaspoon of mixture for each cookie even if it looks tiny, because they spread out into the beautiful lace you see above. They're easy and a lot of fun to bake!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3/8 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
About 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from about 1/2 orange)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/8 cup sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon anise extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the almonds and macadamia nuts together until finely chopped without letting them form a paste. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, orange zest, salt, and finely chopped nuts.
In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, cream, honey, and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue cooking the mixture for about a minute before removing it from the heat and adding the vanilla extract and anise extract. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture until it's combined and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Once the mixture is cool enough to touch, use a teaspoon measure to scoop up 1 teaspoon of batter at a time and roll them into balls. Place these balls on your prepared baking sheets at least 4 inches apart -- don't skimp on this distance, because the cookies will spread a lot as they form their "lace." Flatten the balls into discs. Bake one pan of cookies at a time, rotating once halfway through the baking time, until they are thin, lacy, and golden brown, about 6-7 minutes (this is one of those cookies where you inevitably burn the first pan and then get the hang of it, so don't fret. Just keep a close eye on them). Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them with a thin spatula to a cooling rack. Repeat until all cookies are baked.
In the meantime, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave according to package instructions (usually half-power, in small increments, stirring often.) Carefully spread a very thin layer of white chocolate (just a whisp or they'll be too sweet) on the bottom of one cooled cookie and top it with another to form a thin sandwich. Place these on wax or parchment paper to dry (you can stick them in the refrigerator to speed up the drying process). Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days in an air-tight container with layers separated by wax paper.
To ready my goodbye letter to a sweet friend, read about why I'm terrified of drowning (okay, that sounds obvious, but there's extra background justification for my fear!), and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!
x-posted to food_porn, cooking, picturing_food, and bakebakebake