These Chocolate Florentine Lace Cookies are elegant with a mix of nutty, chocolatey flavor. This delicious cookie recipe is easy to make and looks beautiful, making it perfect to serve for dessert or give as a gift.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
These Lace Cookies with Chocolate, or Florentine Cookies, are a festive and fun dessert that you just have to try. I love serving these delicate treats to guests because not only do they taste great, but they also look great. These are some of my favorites, and I hope they become your favorite, too!
- TASTE: This recipe uses tasty ingredients like melted chocolate, chopped almonds, and brown sugar. It’s sweet and nutty with rich chocolate flavor.
- TEXTURE: These Florentine cookies have the perfect crunch from the honey-sweetened almonds that are used for their base. After baking, they are slim and held together as a sandwich by melted chocolate.
- TIME: These decadent cookies take just 38 minutes to make.
- EASE: This is an is easy to follow recipe that only uses a few ingredients.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Almonds- This is ground down to create the almond meal used as the base for these cookies.
- All-purpose flour– This adds some elasticity to the batter which is mostly almond flour.
- Butter- Use unsalted.
- Golden brown sugar– This adds rich sweetness to the cookies.
- Honey- This adds natural sweetness.
- Vanilla extract– For a touch of vanilla flavor.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips– This will be melted for the filling.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Make them gluten-free- Just substitute brown rice flour or oat flour for the all-purpose flour and you have gluten-free florentine cookies.
- Add orange flavor- You can add orange extract or zest to the batter for a citrusy flavor.
- Add a different filling- You can try this cookie with a filling of Nutella, white chocolate, or peanut butter.
- Add dried fruits- You could also enjoy these with dried cherries, cranberries, or figs.
How to Make Lace Cookies with Chocolate
- Chop the almonds. Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse on high speed until the almonds are chopped into fine crumbs. Set them aside.
- Melt the butter and sugar. In a medium saucepan, place the butter, brown sugar, and honey. Melt them together, stirring with a metal whisk. Once they come to a boil, remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the vanilla and flour. Now stir in the vanilla extract and flour.
- Add in the chopped almonds. Using a spatula, mix in the almonds.
- Scoop out the dough. Scoop out 1/2-tablespoon-sized scoops of the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, or parchment paper. Place each scoop at least 3 inches apart.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. While you’re waiting, roll each scoop of cookie dough into a ball and then place it back on the baking sheet.
- Bake. Put the baking sheet in the oven on the center rack and bake for 8 minutes, turning once halfway, at the 4-minute mark.
Pro Tip: Make sure to place the cookie dough a few inches apart since they will spread quite a bit while baking.
- Melt the chocolate. While the lace cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl until fully melted. Stir at intervals to make sure the chocolate doesn’t get scorched.
- Assemble the Florentine cookies. Take one cookie and spread a little bit of the melted chocolate on the back of it. Then place another cookie on top, the backside facing the chocolate.
- Set and serve. Allow the chocolate to set for about 1-2 hours. Then serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use almond flour- Almond flour or fresh-ground almonds are responsible for not just the delicious flavor, but also the texture of these lace cookies. If you replace almond flour with all-purpose, these cookies will not spread to become thin and crispy, so stick with the almonds.
- Trim the edges of your cookies- If your cookies come out a little irregular, you can trim them with scissors into circles, so they sandwich together just right.
- Keep an eye on your melted chocolate- When microwaving chocolate, stop it every 15-30 seconds to give it a stir. This keeps the chocolate from scorching and not being heated a moment more than necessary.
FAQs
It might be that you used too much all-purpose flour, which does not spread. The almond flour is necessary because it lacks the elasticity found in the gluten in the regular flour. Using mostly almond flour will ensure that the cookies spread.
Chewiness is mostly determined by moisture. Brown sugar adds more moisture to these florentine cookies than white sugar. And the almond flour is more moist than regular flour. The melted butter and honey also add great chewiness.
Serving Suggestions
These Lace Cookies with chocolate are all crunchy cookie, gooey chocolate, and rich flavor. They taste amazing on a cookie plate, served with cakes, pies, and other sweet treats.
- Cookies: Make a cookie platter with these cookies plus some Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Monster Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, and Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Cakes/Pies: Serve them with a slice of New York Style Cheesecake, Chocolate Cream Pie, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Tiramisu Cake (VIDEO).
- Sweet treats: Enjoy these Florentine Cookies with Chocolate Caramel Pretzels Bars, Candied Pecans, Apricot Rugelach (VIDEO), or Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti.
- Beverages: Serve them with a Iced Matcha Latte, Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Latte, or Iced Caramel Macchiato.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can take the cooled cookie dough you’ve prepared and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Let it come to room temperature, then complete the baking and add the chocolate filling.
Storing: To store these Florentine cookies, place them in an airtight container with parchment paper in between the layers. The lace cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze: You can take your baked and filled lace cookies and place them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
More Tasty Cookies!
Watch the Full video on how to make these Florentine Lace cookies!
Full Recipe Instructions
Lace Cookies with Chocolate (Florentine Cookies)
These Chocolate Florentine Lace Cookies are so decadent. You’ll love the mix of nutty, chocolaty, & sweet in these perfect holiday cookies.
Servings: 25 chocolate sandwiched cookies
Calories: 161kcal
Notes
- Use almond flour- Almond flour or fresh-ground almonds are responsible for not just the delicious flavor, but also the texture of these lace cookies. If you replace almond flour with all-purpose, these cookies will not spread to become thin and crispy, so stick with the almonds.
- Trim the edges of your cookies- If your cookies come out a little irregular, you can trim them with scissors into circles, so they sandwich together just right.
- Keep an eye on your melted chocolate- When microwaving chocolate, stop it every 15-30 seconds to give it a stir. This keeps the chocolate from scorching and not being heated a moment more than necessary.
Nutrition
Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!