Vegan Chocolate Florentines

We’ve made these moreish treats vegan so they’ll be suitable for more people. So pretty when packaged in cellophane bags, tins or jars.

Hands-on time 10min, plus cooling and setting. Cooking time about 20min. Makes 16 FOR THE FLORENTINES  50ml extra virgin olive oil  50g light brown soft sugar  50g golden syrup

 50g plain flour

 50g dried cranberries, roughly chopped

 50g flaked almonds

 50g pistachios, roughly chopped  Finely grated zest 1 orange TO DECORATE

 150g vegan dark chocolate, chopped

1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. For the Florentines, in a medium pan, gently heat the oil, sugar and golden syrup, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove pan from

the heat, add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.

2 Dollop tablespoonfuls of the mixture on to the prepared sheets, spacing apart. Spread out the mounds so they are level but the mixture is still connected.

3 Bake for 10-13min, or until golden. Leave to cool completely on the sheets.

4 To decorate, melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove bowl from heat. Dip base of each Florentine into the chocolate, gently shake off excess, then place on a wire rack (chocolate-side up). If you like, you can run the tines of a fork in a wavy pattern over the chocolate when it’s nearly set.

5 Leave to set at room temperature (chill briefly, if needed) before serving. PER FLORENTINE 147cals, 2g protein, 8g fat (2g saturates), 16g carbs (13g total sugars), 1g fibre n