Vegan Florentines (Gluten-Free and Nut-Free)
Traditional Florentines are made of nuts and candied cherries combined with a melted mixture of sugar, butter, and honey, with just enough flour to hold them together.
After baking, these candy-like cookies are coated on the bottom with chocolate.
We asked Hana of Nirvana Cakery, to develop a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free version of the Florentine.
She has used sunflower, pumpkin, and hemp seeds to replace the nuts, cocoa butter and maple syrup in place of the butter and honey, rice flour instead of wheat, and of course, Amore di Mona couverture chocolat speciale.
The result is an elegant and delicious Vegan Florentine.
Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
1/4 cup dried sour cherries
1/3 cup dried figs, about 3 large figs
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2tbsp cacao butter (coconut oil if tolerable)
2tbsp rapadura sugar
1tbsp maple syrup
2tbsp plant milk
2tbsp brown rice flour
To decorate:
100g Amore di Mona bulk chocolate or dark vegan chocolate (3.5oz)
dried cornflowers
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Line one baking sheet with baking paper.
Place sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds into a large bowl.
Roughly chop the cherries, slice the figs and add to the bowl with seeds. Add cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Place cacao butter, rapadura sugar, maple syrup and plant milk into small pot and gently heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until you have smooth thicker caramel like mixture. Leave on the heat until it comes to a boiling point if it hasn't yet. Take off the heat.
Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with seeds and mix thoroughly. You should have thick sticky mixture.
Immediately spoon heaped teaspoon each onto your baking sheet and flatten each with a back of the spoon or your hands. I've used my hands to shape them. You should have 12 florentines.
Place into oven and bake for 10-15 minutes checking frequently until they are golden brown. Leave to cool down before dipping in chocolate.
Roughly chop the chocolate, place into heatproof bowl and gently melt over pot of simmering water.
Dip each florentine into melted chocolate and place onto baking paper to set. Sprinkle with few dried cornflowers if you wish.
Enjoy!
