FLORENTINE COOKIES

Florentine Cookies image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Yield Makes about three dozen

Number Of Ingredients 14

3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
1 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup candied orange peel, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper
Vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
1 pound best-quality bittersweet chocolate, such as Callebaut or Valrhona, chopped

Steps:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine honey, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the temperature reaches 238 degrees (the soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine nuts, dried fruit, flour, and spices.
Pour honey-sugar mixture over contents in large bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. When cool enough to handle, form into 1-inch balls with hands coated with vegetable shortening to prevent sticking. Place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper, and flatten into balls with the palm of your hand. Bake until bubbled on top, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate: In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stir chocolate with a spatula until smooth. Working quickly, using a small offset spatula, spread a thick layer of chocolate on the back of each cooled cookie. Place cookies, chocolate side up, on a wire rack until chocolate is hardened. Store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container.