Hazelnut Florentines

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. 2
   Line a baking sheet with foil and apply a light coating of cooking spray to the foil. As an alternative, a Silpat sheet work quite well.
3. 3
   In a medium mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, molasses and milk. (Lazy chef's tip: you can also mix the batter in the saucepan or bowl used to melt the butter).
4. 4
   Mix in in the ground hazelnuts and flour.
5. 5
   Drop scant teaspoons of batter onto the prepared sheets leaving 3 to 5 inches between each drop. Your drops should be smaller than a quarter.
6. 6
   Bake for 5 or 6 minutes until the cookie until the cookie a deep golden hue and has a lace like appearance where the butter has melted off. Remove tray from oven and let cool until set, about 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from tray and place on a cooling rack. If your cookies are still soft at this point, they are not quite cooked and you can return them to the oven for another minute.
7. 7
   To decorate the cookies, melt the chocolate according to your favorite method. Drizzle on cookies.
8. 8
   (Melting tip: With small quantities of chocolate, you can place the chips in a small heavy duty storage bag and force the chips to one corner. Submerge the sealed bad in a cup of boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds and remove. Knead the softened chips into a liquid. If if needs additional melting, return the bag to the water bath. Once the right consistency is achieved, snip the corner and drizzle).