Making florentines is all about controlling the process of sugar cooking and caramelisation
Florentines are not cookies in the proper sense of the word. They are not made from sugar and wheat flour. Actually, no flour is used in it at all. Making florentines is all about heating and caramelizing sugar.
start with boiling the sugar, butter and honey;
add the shaved almonds;
let it all boil till the sugar starts to caramelise;
at the right moment (and that’s the secret !) you take the pot from the fire;
mix the rest of the almonds with the boiling mass;
it’s a matter of timing to roll and cut out the nougat mass into small portions;
a second cooking and caramelisation takes place when you bake the biscuits in an oven.
The result is a crispy, caramelized cookie with a rich flavor of almonds, butter and honey. They are completely finished when covered with a layer of dark Belgian chocolate.