Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies

I love these cookies. They are always the ones people request. However, I find that they are better crispier (and easier to peel off the foil). Leave them in the oven 10 minutes instead of five to seven. :-)

I LOVE this recipe! I was so excited with how these turned out. They are a really elegant looking cookie and quite unique. I’m definitely going to make these for gifts and such since they make a pretty presentation and it’s something that will stand out from the usual butter/sugar/spritz/chocolate chip cookies. They look like something you’d have to get at a specialty bakery and are very yummy. Because I like chocolate, I made one change to the recipe and that is I added two Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. I took a chance and added the cocoa the first time I made them since there was a comment that this recipe was too sweet. I figured the cocoa would be a good counter to the sweetness and I like dark chocolate anyway. On my opinion, it was a very tasty move. I always enjoy reading helpful hints from other’s reviews, so I hope someone else will find this suggestion useful. Next time I make these, I think I will use special candy making chocolate (the kind that hardens back) so that the cookies are less messy. (Although melted chocolate on your hands isn’t all that bad a thing!) I prefer dark chocolate so that's what I used. I also used parchment paper, but I imagine release foil would work just as well. I agree with other’s suggestions about the cooking time. I made a few trays crispy and a few chewy, both were great. Just pay attention to the level teaspoon of batter and the space on the cookie sheet or else you get a giant blob of stuck together cookies. Ha

Excellent cookies, I have been making these for years and they are very popular. I definitely recommend using parchment as the foil seems to stick. Also, I find if you roll the batter into small balls and then spread them onto to parchment paper using a spatula that has been sprayed with cooking spray - I get a much better looking and consistent shaped cookie. Make sure you give your self a few hours to make these, they are a bit of work and can be time consuming, but well worth the effort.

This has become one of my favorite cookie recipes. A variation I've used (and really like) is dark chocolate in place of the milk chocolate. Keep a close eye on the color while baking - they brown up at once and should not be overcooked. I typically use convection baking at 350 for 7 minutes then watch them constantly until light golden across the cookie.

I loooove these cookies! One of my favorites from the Italian bakery :) Couple of suggestions to make them perfect: Use parchment paper. These are pretty sticky. I was using my fancy pants thicker aluminum cookie sheets and they weren't cooking/spreading fast enough. Switched to my flimsy cheap nonstick cookie sheet (still with parchment) and viola! Perfect browning on the edge and reduced cook time. Use a little more than the recommended teaspoon. In the bakeries these aren't so "holey" and are a satisfyingly sweet and sticky cookie. Lastly, give them a little smoosh before baking since they don't spread enough on their own to make a flat thin cookie. Don't flatten them completely, but don't leave them as round balls either. Thanks for the recipe! This NY'er has Italian cookie fever in MN :)

I was so very excited to find this recipe - my daughter and I bought a florentine cookie the other night to share (it had a 6" diameter!). I was telling her that I used to make them and that I would look up the recipe - This is it - the exact recipe I used to make - Yea! I am going to make this next week for work - and my daughter and I are going to make these for us (= *edit* Made these yesterday - just as good as I remember . . . They are more time consuming than I usually take on (time is a precious comodity!). I had to do one pan at a time, only ten cookies per pan (I did double it - that's on me (= ), I used parchment paper, which worked well. Eight minutes worked perfectly in my oven . . . One of my doctors told me this is the best thing I've ever brought in =D Enjoy!

These were really good. I added about 1/2 cup of slivered almonds and baked for 8 minutes. I also used semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk. I recommend flattening the cookie a bit before baking.

This is very good and sugary! Using parchment paper is the best way to line the pans. I spread chocolate on top of each individual cookie instead of sandwiching the cookie. I agree though, they are best when crispy and should be cooked for 10 mins.

My mom requested these for her birthday this year because they are so good. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips for the spread (using milk chocolate chips in previous years have caused the response, "they're too sweet"). Turned out fantastic! Definitely make sure to grease the foil!

Not exactly the recipe I was looking for, but delicious just the same. Make sure to follow the recipe exactly, especially when it comes to the size of the cookies. Mine came out a little on the large size.

These are sooo good - like a more elegant version of oatmeal chocolate chip. I think the crispiness is just preference. My family prefers chewy..so I only bake them about 5 minutes.

these are crisp, elegant and delicious. i am usually a dark chocolate girl, so i tried them both ways. in these, i actually preferred the milk chocolate. my first batch of cookies spread all into one huge cookie. i even have XL baking sheets and i could put no more than 8 per batch, so these were very time consuming. totally worth it though. :)

I did not care for these at all, I am sad to say. Even with heavily greased foil (and in a second attempt, a heavily greased nonstick cookie sheet), these cookies were quite difficult to get off the foil / pan (I tried removing them immediately after coming out of the over). To be fair, several of the cookies did come off the pan / foil with only partially broken edges, but to me, any breakage is unacceptable. I bake constantly and have never had this much trouble removing cookies from a pan. I think another reviewer mentioned "chiseling" them off ... sounds about right to me. I tried cooking them for 5-7 minutes, then 10 minutes as per other reviews. Neither time really yielded a good cookie. I was looking for something thin, crispy, buttery and delicate. These ended up being chewy, candy-like, brittle, and fragile. I really had high expectations for these cookies, and I am by no means a novice when it comes to baking. Sorry, these were not at all what I wanted, and I will not be making these again.

These cookies are amazing and have received rave reviews every time I made them! I recommend them for bakesales and cookie exchanges.

I am giving this five stars, if made correctly. The way it is written with the omission of pointers, it rates about a three. First of all.... Use parchment paper and they slide right off! Not wax paper and not foil!! Do not oil or spray parchment paper, not necessary. Add some crushed almonds and an extra tsp. of vanilla (or almond extract), and extra pinch of sea salt to improve the bland flavor (as written). ROTATE cookie sheet half way during baking! HEAPING tsp. of batter works best here, level tsp. is too small and Tbsp. is too much. USE half and half of semi sweet mixed with milk chocolate! And.... if you want, you can drizzle the baked cookies with the chocolate instead of painting the bottoms. One last thing..... if you like coconut, the addition of it tastes great with the almonds and chocolate! Remember... the cooking time will depend solely on your oven..... watch first batch carefully to determine the temp you will need to use. If made with these changes.... you will get a gorgeous cookie, perfectly chewy in the middle and a bit brittle and lightly browned around the edges, Perfection!

I followed the recipe to a T, but they didn't come out anything like they should have. I read carefully the reviews and made sure that I didn't under or over cook them. I was careful to use only the spoonful and set them apart so that, according to one review, they didn't spread all over and make one big goo. Mine didn't spread at all; as a matter of fact, when I check on them I realized that I would have to flatten them or they would still be the shape as they came off the spoon. Also, they made only 26 single cookies (13 "sandwiches) not any where near 42!! As I realized I was not going to get that many, I reduced the chips to 1 cup and it was still way to much for the amount of cookes I got. My husband said they tasted OK; but they weren't even close to the "elegant" cookie in the picture.

Awesome cookie for those with nut allergies! The cookie halves can be frozen (carefully between layers of wax paper) and the melted chocolate added later to the defrosted cookies when making the "sandwiches".

Great recipe! I use parchment paper as it is very tricky getting it off foil it there is not enough pam on the pan. I still spray with pam when done I slide the parchment off the cookie sheet to cool and put another piece of parchment paper sprayed well that way I rotate them in and out quickly. I also use Ghirardelli double chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

Not one of our favorite cookies. Taste was just ok. Mine looked kind of ugly, wouldn't make them to give to people. Probably wouldn't make them again.

I made this recipe because I had odds and ends from Christmas baking to use up. I increased the yield to 64 servings to increase the butter to 1 c. It made 58 cookies using my 1 tbsp scoop, I had no problem with batter spreading, double the vanilla as it is a bit bland. I didn't make sandwiches, just spread the top with dark chocolate using an off set spatula. Nice change.

Delicious! Very easy to make. Decided to use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead as we like them better than milk chocolate. Be sure to let them cool on the pan before removing from pan.

I have heavy duty metal cookie sheets, so I found with this recipe that I needed to slightly flatten each mound of dough before placing them in the oven in order for each cookie to completely spread out. I used a teaspoons sized scoop. Be careful the edges brown very quickly!

I followed the advice of other reviewers and used the parchment paper, no problem peeling the cookies apart! Another tip is to drop by dime size, rather than teaspoonfuls, they really stretch out. I placed them, then covered with a small piece of parchment paper, just to flatten it out with my thumb. Chocolate took a long time to harden, so placed in the fridge for a while. Really good cookies, nice and crispy when cooked for 8-9 minutes.

These cookies were pretty easy to make, however it is time consuming waiting for the cookies to cool completely so that you can take them off the foil to smear chocolate. I used milk chocolate and they were sweet maybe I will try semi sweet chocolate with the remaining mix. I did think the cookies were good, would be much better with maybe chunks of chocolate and nuts in it. I did think it was lacking something, I enjoyed the crunch but they just wasn't one of the best cookies I have ever tasted. Thank you for posting!

meh - they were not quite what I expected - I was thinking these were italian lace cookies. maybe next time I'll add some almond extract. But my friends liked them and they were easy to make.

These were so good last year, I couldn't wait to make them again! I thought they tasted just like Pepperidge Farms!

i did not care for this cookie, it was too sweet, and some of the cookies got dark brown and were hard to eat some on the same pan were soft and sticky and oily and gross! then when i added the choclate it just made my teeth ache. I won't be doing this one again!

Although the taste was wonderful, I was disappointed in the consistency of these cookies. When I think of Florentine cookies, I think of thin, lacy cookies. These were definitely not them. Perhaps more liquid is needed to make them flatten/melt as you cook them? Per another review, I had to flatten them with a spatula. If not, they were the same size as when they went in. Way too thick for Florentine and way way too thick to sandwich together, so I just drizzled chocolate over the top of them.

These take a bit of work, but they're worth it in the end. I've been told by several people that they're the first to disappear from assorted cookie trays I've given. I guess that's good, because they don't keep well for very long before they get chewy instead of crispy.

Unbelievable! I saw the ingredients and was skeptical. I mixed the batter and was VERY skeptical. I took them out of the oven, hmm... could have something here. Once I put it together I was amazed at the results. Florentine (lace) cookies were a luxury when I was a child. This recipe takes some of the least expensive ingredients and makes a wonderful copy of those expensive cookies. I followed the directions exactly, except for cooking them a few minutes longer. I would suggest using your finest chocolate and you can pass these off as fancy, gourmet cookies!

Do not use wax paper...

Very Good!!!!

I'm a good cook and baker. I followed this recipe the the "T". They did not look anything like this photo of perfectly round small cookies. Mine melted and pretty much stuck together. I didn't really think they tasted all that great either. What a bummer, I was so worked up by some of the other reviews.

Ok so I have made these several times and they are all the rave everywhere I go. I have LOTS of notes though. First, chill the dough. Then roll into dime size peices and put on a baking sheet lined with foil and greased heavily with pam. Watch them when you bake them. They really take no time at all. Since they are smaller this way (about the size of a clementine when done) this way, they cook faster. Depending on how done you like them they can take 5 mintues or less. Let them cool SLIGHTLY when you take them out. You want to peal them off before they are cool so they do not break. Set the cookies asside. the milk Chocolate it NOT GOOD with these. Everyone I have made them for has prefered white chocolate with them. Milk is just too sweet and dark tastest like coffee. If you like that go ahead, but my many reviews say white chocolate is the best. The thing with these cookies is you have to move FAST. They are great if you do it right!

This is a excellent cookie. Pretty easy to make. I omit the chocolate, they taste great without it. An alternative for using aluminum foil is a silicone cookie sheet.

One of my favorite cookies. I found this in a Nestle Tollhouse best- loved cookies booklet. Very little variation. I can't speak for this cookie but the Toll House version is awesome.

this was really really yum...everyone who tasted it said..woww this is really made from oats?? it really taste likke caramel

This is a Nestle recipe I've kept for over 30 years!

Yummy yummy. We also put dulce de Leche inside with the chocolate. Awesome cookie

This is a very rich cookie. I took others suggestion & did a heaping tsp for the cookie sheet, but wouldn't do that again. I think a tsp would be enough & to kind of level it out so the cookie bakes evenly. My husband thought it was a time consuming cookie, but it wasn't that bad I thought. I think for how rich they are though you need to smaller also because you don't get that many out of the batch when putting another cookie on top. I may try one more time but not sure.

I LOVE these cookies! They are SO good. I always bake them for events, and people are always asking for more. If I don't bring them people are disappointed and ask why.

Well, my adult son has dubbed these his new favorite cookie. They're so pretty, too. I did use Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate, but that was my only change. He even tried to steal them from my mother's tray! Definitely a keeper....little time-consuming, but worth it. Thanks

These cookies were delicious!!!

Special and wonderful. Big hit at Christmas. We put the chocolate on top and served them individually instead of making them sandwich cookies. Made them last longer :)

choose to make these cookies for the first cookies i've ever made from scratch. turned out successfully! highly HIGHLY recommended recipe =)

Just got done making these cookies, they are extremely tasty. Next batch will be in for less time since I prefer mine to be a little more soft. Can't wait until my fam tries these on Xmas.

This is a wonderful recipe I have been making for years - we make them thin - after putting a half teaspoon on sheet, wet your finger and pat it down. They crisp more evenly. Also, you can use silicon baking mats (I spray them lightly with cooking spray) instead of foil or parchment and they slip right off!

I'd been looking all over for a cookie that is like this, thin & crisp, but also chewy.... I finally found it... it's called a "Oatmeal Lace Cookie". ... so if that's you, just wanted to help you out... that's what it's called.. .or if you wanted this kind of cookie w/ out all the additions (plainer version) ...

Ok, so. Some tips for the novice baker like me:
1. Do not be impatient and do wait to peel the cookies away from the foil until they are FULLY COOLED. Or you will have sticky cookie chunks like me
2. Heavily grease the foil, they're tough little buggers and no one likes a bit of tinfoil cookie
3. There's no way to tidily add the chocolate; be prepared to get messy
4. Enjoy! They're low-cal and delicious

Love this recipe!! Very Yummy!! Thank You!

I made these tonight and they were fabulous. I used parchment paper to line my sheet pans. Also follow the instructions or you'll end up with a sheet of cookies that touch corners I used a pizza cutter and made them square.

these cookies are more like candy than cookies but they are still wonderful and different. I used non stick foil on a cookie sheet which eliminated the need for greasing.

I made similar cookies 5 years ago and lost the recipe. I was so happy to have found this one!!! The previous reviewer must have left out the sugar...I know because I did by mistake the first time and they looked just like regular oatmeal cookies and it only made 24. Made them again and they were perfect. I used semi-sweet chocolate for half and buttercream filling for half. Very good. thanks

This recipe is easy and delicious. I will make these again.

These were absolutely delicious! OMG!!!! My husband couldn't stop eating them. I made a couple changes though... I didn't have regular corn syrup only white lily corn syrop and I cut the sugar in the recipe by half.

These cookies are excellent and much easier to make than one would imagine. For the spreading chocolate I melted the chocolate I use in my chocolate fountain. It hardens at room temperature, requires no tempering and the brand I use is pure chocolate. This recipe is going definitely going into my "favorites" folder.