Florentines
★★★★★ Rating

Florentines

For my December recipe for Balance Garden I wanted to do something sweet and Christmassy - florentines immediately came to mind. I often buy the little ones from M&S as Christmas gifts, so doing a homemade version was an obvious choice.
I originally decided to make them vegan as I have a number of vegan or dairy-free friends, and wanted something everyone could enjoy together . I'm glad to say they were devoured by all - far too moreish to have just one I'm afraid!In the recipe below, I have given the option to use butter, if you prefer.

You can read the full article on Balance Garden here.
Dominique Woolf Dominique Woolf
FEEDS:
16
TAKES:
30

INGREDIENTS

  • 30g butter, or vegan butter/spread
  • 30g soft brown sugar
  • 40g dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 40g dried cherries, roughly chopped
  • 30g flaked almonds
  • 30g pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 100g dark chocolate, chopped

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark four. Line two large baking sheets with greaseproof baking paper.
  2. Over a low-medium heat, melt the butter and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.
  3. Meanwhile, place the dried fruit and nuts in a bowl, along with the zest. Add the flour and coat evenly. Stir in the melted butter and sugar, making sure everything is well combined.
  4. Place one heaped teaspoon of the mixture onto a baking sheet and flatten without gaps. Continue until you have 8 mounds on each sheet. Leave about 3 cm between them, as they will spread out as they cook.
  5. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until golden brown, then leave to cool on the sheet.
  6. While these are cooling, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and stir occasionally until melted.
  7. Once the Florentines have cooled, carefully remove them from the tray. Then, with a teaspoon, spread the bottom of each one with chocolate.  Once completely set, store in an airtight container.
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