Florentines - Fiorentine (Florentine Cookies)

My husband Mike makes these fabulous flat (no-flour) Italian cookies every year for the holidays, and they're absolutely heavenly! These cookies are an excellent addition to food gifts, as they will keep for a long time. Silpat baking sheets are very helpful when making these little gems.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Yields: 20 cookies

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup walnuts
• 1⁄4 cup  almonds
• 1  tablespoon raisins
• 1  tablespoon  candied  citrus peel (orange and lemon)
• 2  ounces butter
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 ounce  candied cherry (about 5)
• 1⁄2 ounce crystallized ginger
• 1  tablespoon  cream
• 4  ounces  semisweet baking chocolate

Directions

1. Finely chop walnuts, almonds, raisins, orange and lemon peel, cherries, and ginger.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan, then add sugar and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
3. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute without stirring (until just turning light golden).
4. Remove from heat and mix well with cream and fruit-nut mixture.
5. Spoon heaped teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet (if you have a Silpat, use it!), leaving plenty of space for spreading- try only doing four at a time until you see how large they spread.
6. Bake at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Let cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before carefully removing with spatula.
8. Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave and spread thinly on flat side of cookies.