Oatmeal Florentines

These oatmeal cookies borrow the Florentine technique of using minimal flour so the batter spreads thin and bakes into lacy, crisp wafers. Only a tablespoon of flour holds the dough together. The oats and sugar do the structural work, creating cookies that are more candy than cookie, with caramelized edges and a toasty crunch.

Toasting the oats in shortening before they go into the batter is the step that separates these from ordinary oatmeal cookies. Ten minutes of stirring over medium heat turns raw oats golden brown and nutty, with a depth of flavor that untoasted oats can’t touch. This is worth the extra effort and the reason they taste like Florentines rather than flat oatmeal cookies.

Spacing the drops three inches apart is not an exaggeration. These cookies spread dramatically during baking because there’s almost no flour to hold them back. The batter melts outward into thin discs, and if they’re too close, they’ll merge into one giant sheet.

Kitchen Tips

• Cool the toasted oats completely before mixing into the batter. Hot oats will melt the shortening and make the dough too runny to drop in controlled portions.
• Grease AND flour the baking sheets. These cookies stick aggressively. The flour creates a barrier that lets you slide them off cleanly.
• Use a wide spatula to remove them. They’re fragile when warm and will crack if you try to peel them off by hand. One minute of cooling on the sheet firms them just enough to transfer.

Variations

• Dip in melted chocolate after cooling for a classic Florentine finish. The chocolate adds richness and a satisfying snap.
• Add finely chopped almonds to the batter for a more traditional Italian Florentine with nutty texture.