Cherry & coconut Florentines

Cherry & coconut Florentines

Cute chewy bites. Make one giant version, then stamp out the star shapes - leaving lots of bits to nibble!

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 24

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 20 mins

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the sugar, honey and butter in a large pan and gently melt together. When all the sugar has dissolved stir in the coconut, flaked almonds, sliced cherries and flour.
  2. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper (about 40 x 30cm), and roughly spread the Florentine mixture out to a thin layer - don't worry if you have small gaps, it should melt together in the oven. Bake for 10-12 mins until a rich golden colour, then set aside to cool and firm up.
  3. Melt the chocolate(s) all in separate heatproof bowls over gently simmering water. Line a second large tray or board with greaseproof paper and carefully flip the cooled Florentine bake onto it. Peel off the greaseproof paper. Spread the melted chocolate over, if you're using a few types just leave a gap between each.
  4. Leave aside until set, then stamp out shapes using cookie star cutters - if the cutter is digging into your hands (as the Florentine mix may be a little hard), rest a small plate or pan on top of it and push down on this instead.

247 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 26g, fat 15 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 1g, sugar 25g, salt 0.15 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2009.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • 20 November 2009

    Twinklesfood rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    These turned out quite good, the flavour was close to what I was looking for, though I added a few blanched toasted hazelnuts and almonds for pesonal preference.The only thing I'd do differently is bake them a tad longer (though check to see if browning too much and cover with foil if so) just to get a slightly cunchier texture. They're a lot less fiddly to make than regular florenines however so full marks or the inititive!

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  • 22 November 2009

    Nessa64 rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Have just done a practise run of these, as was hoping to make them as xmas pressies. However, the mixture stuck to the baking parchement so badly that I couldnt peel it off. So I didnt get to putting any chocolate on them! They tasted nice, if you dont mind picking bits of paper out of your teeth.... Not really sure if I will try again though, the taste isnt special enough for gifts.

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  • 23 November 2009

    Mags rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I love florentines and when I saw this I wanted to make this straight away! Like Nessa64 however I also found that it stuck to the baking parchment so badly I struggled to get it off and so ended up with bits everywhere. I still enjoyed the taste though so if anyone can advise how to make stop it from sticking I'll have a go again.

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  • 25 November 2009

    anniroc commented on this recipe

    Haven't tried these yet but perhaps greasing the baking parchment would help?

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  • Binder photo amp

    25 November 2009

    amp rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Just made these and I'm disappointed. I baked for a bit longer than the recipe says and I still don't think it was long enough. If I make again (unlikely) i would bake for 20 minutes. They are far too sweet. I was expecting to taste the almond and coconut but didn't. I agree with Nessa64 - they're not good enough for gifts.

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  • 25 November 2009

    CFL recipes rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I did exactly the same and did a dry-run before making for Xmas pressies. I halved the recipe and found it fantastic! I didn't have a problem with the paper sticking at all - the high fat content made it plenty greasy enough and I certainly wouldn't want to add more by greasing the paper. They are, indeed, very sweet, but if you just cut small shapes that's fine. And I suspect that plain chocolate would balance this sweetness a bit. Normally things go wrong for me, but the teachers will definitely be getting these this year - I am delighted with the results. Oh, and I didn't have cherries so I put some dried cranberries in instead and they are quite bitter. I think I'll just do them with cranberries again.

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  • 25 November 2009

    rachel91 commented on this recipe

    I made these florentines, and thought they were wonderful - I do have a sweet tooth!!! Mine did not stick to baking parchment but did need slightly longer cooking time. I had to use a larger cutter than the recipe stated, as mine wouldnt go through, but apart from that, they were lovely. I also used dried cranberries aswell as cherries. Maybe next time I will cut out florentines first and then brush with chocolate - I know the recipe is trying to avoid this but my chocolate was quite thick.

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  • 25 November 2009

    Freckle commented on this recipe

    I haven't tried making these yet, would it be better to bake them on a silicone baking parchment, to prevent people from having to dig paper out of their teeth.

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  • 26 November 2009

    Cassandra Amy Rose rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I really loved these! They weren't that sweet as I used plain chocolate, but I defiantly would not use white chocolate. Also half the mixture stuck to the paper, which seemed like quite a waste 2 me, and lots spilt over the edges of the tray. They literally leak fat, there was loads left on the board, but I'll defiantly b makin these again, mayb 4 xmas pressies! When I make these I'll use two swiss roll tins with a silicone sheet underneath.

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  • 30 November 2009

    Lesley rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    These are very good if you have a sweet tooth. Mine didn't stick at all but they were very soft and the chocolate cracked badly and fell off when I tried to do star shapes. I ended up doing half moons as they were less fiddly. I would advise against white chocolate - too sickly - the ones with plain chocolate tasted better.

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  • 03 December 2009

    Luisa rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    I have just come out of an entire morning in the kitchen wrestling with these, and wish I had checked the comments first - I might not have wasted all that time and money. If attempting them, definiately use a tin with a rim. I used a baking sheet and now have an oven bottom covered with the burnt-on remains that dripped off the sheet. Had to try and scrape it off onto rimmed tins halfway through - nightmare. Even the waxed paper stuck well and truly to it, as others have said. They were for my children's Xmas fayre tomorrow, so now have to go and find a better recipe. VERY disappointed.

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  • 04 December 2009

    Melanie Day commented on this recipe

    This was really easy to make despite what the comments say. I covered the tin which had small ridges with greaseproof paper and had no problems with burning or mixture running off. I thought i had removed from oven too soon as mixture was soft but still held its shape and didnt stick to the paper. The only minor point i would say it that it was hard to cut star shapes that looked as neat as the picture so I ended up cutting into squares. My boyfriend says they tasted delicious.

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  • 05 December 2009

    Nicolene rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these last night and they came out perfectly! The paper didn't stick at all. I used dark chocolate which was perfect and not too sweet.

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  • 09 December 2009

    Belkey rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made these last night and whilst they took a while (lots of waiting between the various stages!!), they turned out really well. They did not stick at all, I took the precaution of brushing my baking paper with "cake release", but don't think I will bother next time as the paper came away no bother. I agree with one of the earlier comments that I could not get my shapes quite as neat as the picture, nor the smooth chocolate finish. I also wondered whether the honey flavour would be too strong and wondered whether to use golden syrup, but I think either would be fine. They are going down a storm in the office!

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  • 15 December 2009

    Sureena rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    i made these last night. Althought they tasted delicious, i have to agree half of my mixture stuck to the greaseproof paper ruining it all. i spent most of the time just scraping it off the paper and letting it cool just the way it was. Although i would love to make these again, is there any way i can make them without worrying about them sticking to the paper? p.s next time i would definately use less sugar and butter

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  • 16 December 2009

    justine commented on this recipe

    i made these the other day and used dried mixed fruit with the almonds which were really nice, but i left it in oven as recipe said but mixed didnt set properly in the middle and once the chocolate was set on top i couldnt cut the star shapes out as the chocolate all broke and cracked, I would defo make these again but leave in oven longer and maybe cut out the shapes before i covered them in chocolate

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  • 18 December 2009

    scrummy commented on this recipe

    made these and they taste good BUT had to keep putting them back in the oven till they had been in for 35 minutes! they need to harden soggy is not nice.

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  • 22 December 2009

    Jennahead rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these last night and definitely didn't have a problem unsticking them from the lined baking tray! I think it's just a case of seeing how squidgy your mix is, and judging whether you need to grease it from there maybe? I cut out some of the almonds and cherries in favour of extra coconut, which was really yummy. When putting the mixture into the 2 trays i used, I found that hitting it flat with the back of the wooden spoon worked really well to make it nice and thin. This gave it a great texture when it cooked. It didn't spill over the side either - maybe make sure not to put too much into your tray.

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  • 23 December 2009

    Jane commented on this recipe

    The first attempt was pants - the baking parchment stuck all over and cutting them with a star cutter was ok, but nowhere near as sharo as the picture suggests. The 2nd attempt was a little better , using silicone liner, had no sticking. However trying to use the star cutter again was totally useless, ended up cutting them into squares. However the taste was fantastic and compliments all round.

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  • 10 January 2010

    Sarah Sexton rated this recipe

    2 stars

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 24

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 140g light muscovado sugar
  • 100g clear honey
  • 200g salted butter
  • 100g desiccated coconut
  • 140g flaked almonds
  • 300g glacé cherries , sliced
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 250g dark, milk or white chocolate , or a mix
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247 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 26g, fat 15 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 1g, sugar 25g, salt 0.15 g

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