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    Home » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Baking Recipes » Vegan Florentines with Cranberry & Orange

    Vegan Florentines with Cranberry & Orange

    Published: Mar 25, 2017 · Modified: Apr 6, 2022 by Kate Ford · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Vegan Florentines
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
    pinterest pin for vegan florentines

    These lacy vegan florentines are as delicious as they are pretty - studded with fruits and nuts and coated in dark chocolate, they make a lovely homemade gift.

    🍴Why you will love this recipe

    The delicate and jewelled Florentine biscuit is thought not to be Florentine, that is from Florence, at all - and more likely to originate in France. But wherever they stated out, these biscuits are very easy to make, beautiful to look at and incredibly more-ish.

    The combination of slightly sour dried cranberries, citrussy orange zest and dark chocolate is an absolute winner. There's no way you will be able to stop at one!

    I tend to make Florentines at Christmas time - they make such a lovely homemade gift, and are delicate enough to still be welcome at a time of year when we're all drowning in mince pies. But in fact they are totally teatime-appropriate all year round, don't wait until December to have a go at these little beauties!

    Jump to:
    • 🍴Why you will love this recipe
    • 📝 What you need
    • 👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your Vegan Florentines
    • 🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
    • 🍽 If you liked that...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments and Reviews
    ingredients for vegan florentines

    📝 What you need

    Flaked Almonds are lightly crushed with your fingers to get perfectly delicate slivers of nut. At a push you could finely chop whole blanched almonds instead, but it is the texture of these almonds that really makes the biscuit, so do find flaked if you can.

    Dried Cranberries are deliciously sweet-sour and just what is needed alongside the dark chocolate and syrup. You could use any dried fruit, but cranberries are the very best.

    Dark Chocolate can be as dark as you like here - just check the ingredients to make sure it is dairy-free.

    Wholemeal Flour is whisked into the vegan butter, almost like a roux. A plain white flour would also work fine, as would a spelt flour.

    👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your Vegan Florentines

    For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.

    Crush the flaked almonds with your fingers, and finely chop the cranberries. Grate the orange zest.

    In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter and add the demerara sugar and maple syrup, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour, followed by the almonds, cranberries and orange zest.

    Drop teaspoon-sized blobs of mixture onto lined baking trays, well spaced apart. Wet your fingers and push each blob of mixture into a round shape and flatten out. Bake for 10 minutes then set aside to cool and set.

    When the biscuits are completely cool, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave. Spoon onto each biscuit and spread right to the edges with a knife. When the chocolate is beginning to set, use a fork to create a wavy pattern. Leave at room temperature for the chocolate to completely set.

    🔪 Top Tips & FAQs

    If you prefer to use less chocolate you could pipe or drizzle melted chocolate over the biscuits instead, Jackson Pollock-style.

    Whilst I've seen many florentines being cut to a perfectly circle with a pastry cutter, I prefer the frilly edges of a naturally-shaped biscuit. Follow the instructions to shape the blob of mixture with wet fingers before baking, and your florentines should end up pleasingly round.

    vegan florentines recipe
    How long will my vegan florentines keep?

    If they are kept in an airtight container they will keep for 2-3 weeks, there is nothing that will go stale so these are great for making ahead.

    Can I freeze my florentines?

    Yes - you can freeze them successfully in an airtight container or bag, though the chocolate may lose some of its shine.

    My blogging friend Sharon has recently released an excellent vegan cookbook, Bit of the Good Stuff. It is subtitled "over 100 plant-powered recipes for all the family to enjoy", and it does exactly what it promises - the recipes are quick and easy, and those I've tried have been a hit with all the family.  Hearty and delicious suppers that are packed with flavour and don't taste in the slightest bit "free-from" anything, alongside sweet treats and 3-year-old friendly snacks and breakfast ideas which have been very popular in our house.

    Sharon has kindly agreed that I can share this vegan Florentines recipe with you below. Many thanks!

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    🍽 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    Vegan Biscuits
    Vegan Jammy Star Biscuits
    Vegan Flapjacks
    Vegan Choc Chip Flapjacks
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    Vegan Jaffa Cakes
    biscoff brownies
    Vegan Biscoff Brownies

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan Florentines biscuits

    Vegan Florentines with Cranberry & Orange

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    These lacy vegan florentines are as delicious as they are pretty - studded with fruits and nuts and coated in dark chocolate, they make a lovely homemade gift.
    4.84 from 6 votes
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    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Baking
    Cuisine British
    Servings 12 florentines
    Calories 111 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 30 g flaked almonds
    • 30 g vegan butter / block margarine
    • 30 g demerara sugar
    • 30 ml maple syrup
    • 18 g wholemeal flour
    • 30 g dried cranberries
    • 1 orange
    • 100 g dark chocolate check it is vegan

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
    • Crush the almonds between your fingers to break them up.
    • Finely chop the cranberries
    • In a small pan, gently heat the dairy-free butter. Once it has melted, whisk in the sugar and syrup. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour.
    • Stir in the almonds, cranberries and zest. You want to get the mixture as uniform as possible so that the florentines spread evenly as they bake.
    • Drop six rounded teaspoons of mixture onto one baking sheet. Be sure to space them out to give them plenty of room to spread. Add another six teaspoons to the second baking sheet.
    • Using damp fingers, press down on the florentines to flatten slightly and shape into circles.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, or until the edges of the florentines have browned. Leave to cool. (They will be very soft when they come out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool).
    • Melt the chocolate in the microwave - starting with 1 minute, then in 10 second bursts until it has just melted. Leave to cool for a minute or two until it thickens slightly.
    • Using a knife, coat the bottom of each florentine. When the chocolate has started to cool but before it sets completely, wiggle a fork across it to form a wavy pattern.
    • Leave the florentines at room temperature until the chocolate has fully set, then transfer to an airtight container.

    Video

    Notes

    Recipe adapted from 'Bit of the Good stuff' by Sharon Collins
    If you prefer to use less chocolate you could pipe or drizzle melted chocolate over the biscuits instead, Jackson Pollock-style.
    Whilst I've seen many florentines being cut to a perfectly circle with a pastry cutter, I prefer the frilly edges of a naturally-shaped biscuit. Follow the instructions to shape the blob of mixture with wet fingers before baking, and your florentines should end up pleasingly round.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1florentineCalories: 111kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 26mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 93IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Mention @thevegspace or #thevegspace
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    Vegan in 15 by Kate Ford

    For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.

    "Brilliant! Chock full of easy recipes and great tips and advice"  Hello! Magazine

    Please note that all recipes and images on The Veg Space are copyright protected. If you would like to share the recipe, please use the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or copy and paste the recipe, (even if credited to The Veg Space). Many thanks for your understanding

    « Sweet Chilli Noodles with exotic mushrooms
    Black Bean Chilli with Chipotle Paste »

    About Kate Ford

    Hi! I'm Kate, vegan home cook and blogger behind The Veg Space and author of Vegan in 15. I'm passionate about creating easy vegan recipes that even a first-time cook can follow.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather Johnson says

      April 02, 2022 at 10:00 pm

      very good and they were a great gift for my friend that is vegan - i used regular flour and it all came out great

      Reply
    2. Anita says

      April 02, 2022 at 9:34 pm

      These are delicious and so flavorful. They also look sooo pretty, like store-bought cookies instead of home-made ones.

      Reply
    3. Marisa Franca says

      April 02, 2022 at 8:12 pm

      I couldn't believe how easy they were to make -- they look so pretty and delicate. I made them for my book club and the ladies all went nuts over them. They all insisted on the recipes and I directed them over to here. Thank you for a keeper of a recipe.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        April 03, 2022 at 10:39 am

        Ah that's great to hear, thanks Marisa!

        Reply
    4. Claudia Lamascolo says

      April 02, 2022 at 7:08 pm

      These were easier than I thought and so delicious we will make them again love the flavors!

      Reply
    5. Abygail says

      April 05, 2018 at 8:39 am

      I love the sound of these. And I love your blog!

      Reply
      • thevegspace says

        April 05, 2018 at 10:44 am

        Thanks! X

        Reply
    6. Sharon @ Bit of the Good Stuff says

      March 26, 2017 at 8:16 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words about the book ❤️ I'm thrilled to hear that you & the family are enjoying the recipes! And what a great choice of recipe to share. I love those Florentines! They look pretty fancy, but they're so easy to make aren't they? I hope they went down a treat at the cake sale 🙂

      Reply
    7. Abbie Jones says

      March 25, 2017 at 6:39 pm

      These look like such a great snack for me to bring to the library during finals week. thanks for sharing <3

      Abigail Alice x

      Reply
    4.84 from 6 votes

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