Latin Lace Florentines

Ingredients:3/4 cup quick-cooking oats


3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

10 tablespoon (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup half-and-half or whole milk

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Shopping note:

For the best chocolate flavor, look for bittersweet chocolate with a minimum of 60 percent cocoa solids.

Cooking Directions:Preheat the oven to 350ºF with oven rack in the middle. Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or heavy-duty aluminum foil buttered generously.


In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in almonds.

Add butter, half-and-half (or milk), corn syrup and vanilla. Stir to combine.



Scoop heaping teaspoons of batter onto the prepared sheet at least 3 inches apart, six cookies per sheet. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are flat and browned around the edges, 7 to 9 minutes. Cool cookies on the sheet several minutes, until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

When all cookies are baked, melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Using a very small tipped pastry bag or the tines of a fork, drizzle the chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the tops of the cookies.