Florentine Bars

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Yield: makes 20 square bars or 32 triangles

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Storage:

store at room temperature for 4 days; may freeze for up to 3 months

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3 large egg whites

zest of one large orange (or 2 teaspoons juice)

1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped into ¼ inch pieces

1 1/3 cups sliced almonds (blanched or with skin)

1 cup dark or white chocolate chips

vegetable oil for greasing pan

Preparation Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 X 13-inch pan with vegetable oil. Press in a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the bottom and go an inch up the sides of the pan, making sure you press it into the corners. Grease the top of the parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, egg whites and orange zest. Use a silicone spatula to gently mix in nuts and chopped cranberries, being careful not to crush the nuts. Scoop into the pan and use the spatula or your hands to spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. The easiest way to do this is to push the batter into the edges and corners first and then fill in the middle. You will have a thin nut layer.

Bake 25 minutes, or until nuts are golden. Let cool one hour. Pull up the parchment to lift the bar out of the pan. Place another piece of parchment on top and then turn the bar over onto the new parchment. Peel off the bottom parchment.

Melt the chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave oven in for 45 seconds, stir, melt another 30 seconds, stir and then for 15 seconds more, if needed, until melted. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate on the bottom of the bar. If desired, you can use a serrated knife to make lines in the chocolate to decorate it. Slide the parchment and bars onto a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into squares, triangles or rectangular bars.