I took a Mary Berry recipe for Florentines and converted it to a vegan recipe, so they are dairy free. What is missing in some vegan baking is the luxurious taste of fine ingredients and interesting textures. These Florentines are chewy, tasty and very lux, perfect for a special occasion or just with coffee as a treat.
I’m testing them out later on friends, and I won’t tell them they are vegan then I’ll get back to you…..yay! They loved them and couldn’t tell they were vegan.

Recipe

Makes 18.

Ingredients:
50g of coconut oil (I use mild odourless as it has no taste, or use butter if you prefer)
50g of golden caster sugar
50g of golden syrup
50g of plain flour (I used white spelt)
25g of glacé cherries finely chopped
50g of candied peel finely chopped
50g of flaked almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
200g of plain chocolate ( I use green and blacks plain cooking chocolate)

How:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 3 baking trays with grease proof paper or silicone sheets.

Into a small pan on low heat put the coconut oil, salt, sugar and syrup.
Stir till melted then take off the heat and add the flour, nuts and glacé cherries. Stir well to mix.

Make 18 Florentines by spooning a teaspoon of the mixture onto the baking sheets leaving room for them to spread during cooking.
Bake for about 8-10 minutes till golden brown.
Leave on the baking trays to firm up, while they are still hot (I use a teaspoon to shape the edges if they are wonky).
Once cool, transfer to a cooling rack.

Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. You can spread the underside of the Florentines with the chocolate, then let them set before turning them over and drizzle more chocolate over the top.
Or just dip half the florentine in chocolate so it’s half covered.
Store in an airtight container.

These Florentines are perfect boxed up and given as a gift! Lastly: I buy mild coconut oil at my local Wholefoods. You can also buy it on line. Mild coconut oil has no coconut smell or taste so you can use it in cooking and baking without having the coconut as the dominant flavour and taste, which means you can really taste all the delicate flavours.

I shop at:
Waitrose
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Lidl