All my recipes are egg and dairy free, but my Free-from Florentines are also nut and gluten free. Generally, when you make a lot of substitutions, you feel like the essence of a traditional recipe is lost. However, this recipe absolutely retains the classic elements synonymous with the traditional Florentine; they are still fruity and “nut-like” and have that rich coat of dark chocolate. If nuts have stopped you from being able to try Florentines, hopefully you can enjoy this version which avoids the most common western food allergens. Better still, while many recipes claim to be quick and easy, this one truly is!
Because I think of Florentines as a Christmas biscuit, I chose cranberries and mixed peel, with sunflower and pumpkin seeds in place of more the traditional nuts. To create your own Florentine recipe, choose your favourite dried fruits, add nuts or even some Christmas spices. You can quickly create individual flavours for unique home-baked Christmas gifts.
Other festive treats you might like to try include a Plant-based Panforte with a glass of Egg(less) nog or a batch of Christmas Pudding Pancakes – a great way to start your Christmas or Boxing day.
Free-from Florentines
Ingredients:
- 50g dairy-free butter or margarine
- 50g demerara sugar
- 50g golden syrup or maple syrup
- 50g buckwheat flour
- 40g dried cranberries finely chopped
- 50g mixed candied peel finely chopped
- 30g pumpkin seeds
- 30g sunflower seeds
- 180g dark chocolate 72% or more
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Line two baking trays with re-useable baking sheets or baking paper.
Gently heat dairy-free butter, demerara and golden syrup until melted together.
Remove from the heat and add buckwheat flour, fruit and seeds. Stir well to mix.
Use a 15ml tablespoon to portion 6 Florentines onto each pre-prepared baking tray. Make sure you leave space between each one to spread while baking.
Bake for 8-10minutes or until golden, flat and lacy then remove trays from the oven and leave to cool. For uniform Florentines, use a round cookie-cutter to trim the edges.
Melt chocolate to coat the flat side of the Florentines. For a traditional finish you can score wavy lines in the chocolate with a fork before the chocolate sets.
Store in an airtight container.
Food allergens that need to be clearly identified on food packaging differ around the world. This florentine recipe is free-from egg and dairy ( and all other animal products) making them vegan, but also doesn’t contain any peanut, tree nuts, sesame, soy and is gluten-free. They do contain buckwheat which is an allergen in Japan and Korea.
This recipe sounds so good .How many will it make? Two tray fills?
Hi Sue, makes about a dozen 8-10cm Florentines, 6 each tray, use a tablespoon measure to portion out 12 then divide any leftovers evenly. They spread quite a bit, should be thinnish and lacy, but stable enough to carry the chocolate.