Recipe: White Chocolate Walnut & Cherry Florentines

Coated with creamy white chocolate, Chef Sabyasachi Gorai's nutty Walnut and Cherry Florentines are simple to prepare and are a delight to bite into.

Florentines are dry fruit and nut cookies married to a little chocolate, that, in spite of their name, did not originate in Florence, Italy, and more likely were first created in the French royal kitchens.

Photograph: California Walnuts

Walnut and Cherry Florentines

Servings: 15

Ingredients

50 gm maida or all purpose flour
25 gm glace or candied cherries, chopped
25 gm dried sour cherries or unsweetened tart cherries, chopped (available online)
75 gm walnuts, chopped
50 gm butter
50 gm golden syrup or treacle, a thick sugar syrup, available online
50 gm light muscovado sugar, an unrefined cane sugar like brown sugar, available in gourmet grocery stores or online
175 gm sweet white chocolate, melted
2 baking trays
Baking paper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line two trays with baking paper and keep aside.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, cherries, walnuts and keep aside.
Carefully melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
Take off heat and add the golden syrup, muscovado sugar.
Whisk until the sugar has dissolves.
Stir into the dry mixture.
Scoop 1 flat tbsp each of the mixture, per Florentine, onto the baking sheets to get 15 Florentines.
Ensure there is plenty of room, between the Florentines, for them to spread while baking.
Bake for 6-7 minutes or until golden.
Allow Florentines to harden before transferring to a cooling rack.
Cool completely.
To carefully melt the white chocolate, use either the microwave or the double-boiler method.
Spoon the chocolate onto one side of each Florentine or dip them partially into the white chocolate.
Place them on a wire rack to set.
Store in an airtight container.

Note: Muscovado sugar can be substituted with brown sugar.

Chef Sabyasachi Gorai is a consultant chef and mentor.

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