Apricot and Pistachio Florentines

I'm having a white chocolate moment - my husband adores it, and it seems much more summery than the lovely dark stuff (ooh, having said that, maybe I'll just remind myself how nice dark chocolate can be!).    Florentines are perhaps my most favourite biscuits, so I thought I'd try a white chocolate version, and using the pretty combination of apricots and pistachios.  This collection was made for, and tested on, the Army.   Incidentally, the white dots on the biscuits are where the chocolate has oozed through from the back - white chocolate doesn't melt as well, and takes longer to set again, so you might need more than the quantity below.  

I made a batch of dark chocolate ones for the same training weekend, but managed to leave them behind.  Oh no!  I ended up taking one for the team - in fact, the whole lot!  Sorry girls...

Apricot and Pistachio Florentines

Apricot and Pistachio Florentines

3 ½ oz/100g butter

4oz/110g caster sugar

1tbsp cream (single or double)

4oz/110g pistachio nuts

3tbsps chopped dried apricots

2tbsps cut mixed peel

4oz/100g white chocolate

Line 2-3 baking sheets with silicone paper/parchment (it has to be non-stick: I learned the hard way!), and preheat the oven to 180 deg C.

Assemble the nuts, fruit and peel on a large chopping board and chop roughly so that they are not whole, but still retain some individual texture and shape.    In a small pan, melt the butter, add the sugar and boil together for 1 minute.  Then add the chopped ingredients and the cream, and mix well.  

Remove the pan from the heat, and put heaped dessertspoons of the mixture onto the baking sheets.  They spread, so I usually put about 2-3 per tray.   Bake for about 10 minutes until golden.   To start with, bake a tray at a time, so they don’t all need attention at once!

When the biscuits are ready, take out of the oven and, using a palette or table knife, press the edges inwards to make a better shaped biscuit – they will firm up relatively quickly, so don’t leave it too late…. (if so, just put them back into the oven for a VERY short time until they soften, and try again)     When they are firm, put onto a wire rack and leave to cool fully.  You can then re-use the parchment for another lot. 

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, and spread it onto the backs of the Florentines, putting each one upside down while the chocolate sets.     Store in an airtight tin, between layers of parchment or waxed paper.   They are fragile, but beautiful.