This Australian and New Zealand take on the classic Florentines recipe is one of the easiest biscuits to make. They are sweet with a slight crunch on the outside and wonderfully chewy inside. Finished off with a coating of chocolate on the base, this is a rich, indulgent and very moreish biscuit to enjoy any time of the day.
This version is made using cornflakes, fruits (glacé cherries or cranberries, and sultanas), nuts, sweetened condensed milk and chocolate. All the ingredients (except the chocolate) are simply mixed together with a spoon before shaping and baking, making them one the quickest biscuits to prepare. A great recipe to make with children.
Why I love this recipe:
These florentines are SO simple and quick to make.
I also love that you can adapt the recipe to suit your own tastes by substituting the fruits and/or nuts used. Alternatively, if you want to leave the nuts or fruits out altogether due to allergies or preferences, you can.
I have also used a whole tin of sweetened condensed milk in this recipe. A lot of recipes for this biscuit only use 2/3 of a can and I always end up throwing out the remaining contents. Subsequently my recipe makes 24 florentines instead of 18 and nothing gets wasted. Makes more sense to me.
Ingredients to make these Florentines:
- Cornflakes – I use Kelloggs Cornflakes.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – a whole 395g tin is used in this recipe.
- Dried or Glacé Fruits – Glacé cherries (or cranberries) along with sultanas.
- Nuts – I use chopped roasted peanuts and flaked or slivered almonds.
- Chocolate – A good quality milk or dark (70%) chocolate which is melted and used for coating the biscuit base once the florentines are baked and cooled. I like to use a 50/50 mix of milk and dark chocolate. Use whichever chocolate you prefer but I don’t recommend white chocolate unless you like a very sweet biscuit.
Step by Step Instructions:
- 1. Place all the ingredients except the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate into a large bowl.
- 2. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the ingredients in the bowl and using a large spoon, gently fold everything together until well combined.
- 3. Make sure all the ingredients are evenly mixed and that everything is coated well in sweetened condensed milk.
- 4. Take 1.5 to 2 tbsp of the mixture and place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Either shape into round shapes organically with your fingers or use a round pastry mould as shown in the photo. Both work well. Alternatively you can use greased muffin trays to make your florentines instead of on baking trays.
- 5. Here you can see that I have shaped 2 with a round mould and the other 2 with my fingers.
- 6. Repeat shaping with remaining mixture – you should get approximately 24 florentines. Place the tray of florentines into a preheated 180°C oven (or 150°C fan forced) for 10-12 minutes or until nicely golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow the florentines to cool on the tray for 15 minutes to allow them to firm/harden up (important step).
- 7. Move the florentines to a wire cooling rack to cool completely while you melt the chocolate.
- 8. Melt the chocolate in a microwave proof bowl at 50% heat in 30 second bursts, stirring each time until melted. You can also melt your chocolate on the stovetop over a double broiler.
- 9 and 10. Taking one florentine biscuit at a time, dunk them into the melted chocolate so just the base is coated in chocolate. Lift out and allow some of the chocolate to drip off while turning the biscuit over so the chocolate side is now facing upwards as in pic 11. Instead of dunking the biscuits, you can add a teaspoon of melted chocolate onto the base and spread out with the back of the spoon.
- 12. Place the florentines chocolate side up onto a flat surface (I use a wire cooling rack) lined with baking paper to allow the chocolate to set. Once set the florentines are ready.
Tips and Tricks for Success:
This is a very simple recipe to execute but here are a few little tips to help you along the way:
When combining all the ingredients in the bowl, take your time with this step as you want to make sure that everything is well coated in sweetened condensed milk. I find using a large soup spoon or similar to be ideal as you can fold the mixture without breaking up the cornflakes too much.
The most important step in this recipe is to allow the florentines to cool for at least 15 minutes on the trays when removed from the oven. This allows them to firm up as they will still be soft fresh out of the oven.
I like to use a mix of 50/50 milk and dark chocolate (70%) but feel free to use whatever chocolate you prefer. A good quality eating chocolate is recommended.
This recipe can also be made with gluten-free cornflakes.
Other recipes for you to try:
Another delicious biscuit made using cornflakes is my Iced Chocolate Biscuits.
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 6-7cm round cookie or pastry mould (optional)
- Medium microwave proof bowl or saucepan (to melt the chocolate)
Ingredients
- 4 c cornflakes (140g) I use kelloggs brand
- 100 g Glacé cherries (or whole dried cranberries) halved
- 3/4 c sultanas (125g)
- 1/2 c roasted peanuts (75g) roughly chopped
- 3/4 c flaked almonds (60g) or slivered almonds
- 395 g sweetened condensed milk (1 tin)
- 250 g dark chocolate (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 150°C fan forced. Line 1 or 2 oven trays with baking paper.
- Add the cornflakes, glacé cherries, sultanas, peanuts and flaked almonds to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the sweetened condensed milk and using a large spoon, gently fold and stir the mixture until everything is coated evenly. Take your time with this step.Take 1.5 to 2 tbsp of mixture and mound onto the baking paper lined trays. Shape into a round using clean fingers or a 6-7cm round cookie/pastry mould. If using a mould, gently press the mixture into it before slowly removing the ring. Repeat with the remaining mixture, allowing a 3cm gap between each biscuit. These biscuits do not spread during baking.Place the tray or trays into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are nicely golden. Take care not to burn them.Remove from the oven and allow the florentines to cool on the trays for 15 minutes until they have firmed up. This is important as they are still soft when they come out of the oven. Once firm transfer them to a wire rack while you prepare the melted chocolate.
- To melt the chocolate: Break up the chocolate into 1-2cm pieces and place into a microwave proof bowl. Melt in the microwave at 50% power in 30 second bursts, stirring each time until chocolate is melted. Alternatively you can melt the chocolate on the stovetop over a double broiler.
- Take one of the biscuits and gently dunk into the melted chocolate so just the base is coated in chocolate. Lift out and allow some of the chocolate to drip off then gently tilt a little each way to stop drips before turning it over and placing it chocolate side up onto a wire cooling rack that is lined with baking paper. Repeat with the remaining biscuits. Allow the chocolate to fully set and harden before serving or storing.PS. If like me, you have a little melted chocolate left over, use it to make a rocky road by adding nuts, dried fruits, marshmallows, crushed cornflakes or biscuits to it and then set it in a small container in the fridge. No wastage ?
- Florentines are best eaten within 3 days however they will last up to 7 days. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
No Comments