ALMOND FLORENTINES COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Line 2 large, heavy baking sheets with aluminum foil. Lightly butter the foil.
• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, just until the sugars dissolve and the butter melts. Add the almonds, flour and orange and lemon zests. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
• Drop 1 rounded tsp. batter (batter will be runny) onto a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with more batter, spacing the cookies at least 2 inches apart. Repeat with the second baking sheet.
• Bake until deep brown, about 8 minutes, switching the pans and rotating a half turn halfway through baking. Remove from the oven. Slide the foil off each sheet with the cookies in place. Line the same sheets with new foil, butter the foil and repeat with the remaining batter.
• While all 4 sheets of cookies are cooling completely on their pieces of foil, line the baking sheets with new foil. Carefully peel the cookies off the foil and arrange them, smooth side up, on the newly covered baking sheets.
• In the top pan of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl, combine the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates. Place over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan and heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
• Using an icing spatula or a knife, spread the chocolate over the flat side of each cookie and return them, chocolate side up, to the baking sheets. Refrigerate, uncovered, until the chocolate sets. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Steps:

• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Heat butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium, stirring often with a heatproof spatula, until butter is melted and brown sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ginger, almonds, flour, orange zest, and salt.
• Using a #60 or #70 cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.), portion out batter on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 3" apart (8 cookies per sheet). With dampened fingers, press each cookie into a 2" disk.
• Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Using the rim of an inverted glass, nudge edges of cookies into neat circles and separate any if needed. Transfer cookies, still on parchment, to wire racks and let cool.
• Melt bittersweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), stirring occasionally, until glossy and smooth. (Alternatively, melt in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each, about 1 minute total.) Repeat process with white chocolate.
• Drizzle about one third of white chocolate over bittersweet chocolate and mix together with a skewer or chopstick to create large swirls (don’t overmix or swirls will disappear). Working one at a time, dip one third of each cookie into swirled chocolate, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. As you work, swirl in more white chocolate as needed to maintain a distinct pattern. Let cookies sit until chocolate is set, 30–45 minutes. Do ahead: Cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Stack in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper, and chill.