Name: Paleo Christmas Chocolate Florentines Recipe
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/2 Cup Ground Almonds; 1/2 Cup Chopped Dates; 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup; 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (Melted); Zest of 1 Orange; Handful of Goji Berries; Handful of Flaked Almonds; Handful of Dried Raspberries; Handful of Pistachios; 1/2 Cup Cacao Butter (Grated); 2 Tbsp Cacao Powder; 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup; 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil; Pinch of Nutmeg; Pinch of Ground Cloves

Try something a little bit different, like these elegent Chocolate Florentines that are bound to satisfy. A superb treat to share this festive holiday season! Moist yet with just the right amount of crunch and flavoured with berries and nuts, sweetened with maple syrup and coated in a rich cacao chocolate topping. Yum!

Equipment

Flat Baking Tray
Greaseproof Parchment
Oven
Blender
Saucepan
Heatproof Bowl

Ingredients

FOR THE FLORENTINES:

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING:

Method

First, find a flat backing tray and line with greaseproof parchment. Preheat your oven to 165 degrees.
Then, in a blender, add the ground almonds, melted coconut oil, chopped dates and maple syrup. Blend for 3 minutes to break down the dates and combine ingredients.
Using a tablespoon, scoop half a spoons worth of the mixture and use the back of the spoon to flatten this out on to the parchment in a circular shape. There will be enough mixture for around 12 florentines.
Sprinkle some pistachios, flaked almonds, dried raspberries, goji berries and a little orange zest onto each florentine.
Place into the oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the parchment sheet onto a cool kitchen surface and allow the florentines to fully cool. They will set and stiffen slightly.
Whilst the florentines cool, prepare the chocolate. Place some water into a saucepan and place a heatproof bowl on top. Ensure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
Add the grated cacao butter, cacao powder, nutmeg, ground cloves, maple syrup and coconut oil. Gently reduce on a low heat until the ingredients form a silky chocolate.
Once you achieve this consistency, take off the heat and place in the fridge to cool for about 15 minutes.
Spoon the chocolate onto the back of the florentines and keep in a cool dry store to set. If the chocolate seeps through the florentines it will need to cool down a little more so it begins to thicken.
Share and enjoy!

Click to enlarge

The Pea & The Spoon

After following the Paleo diet for sometime and striving to create delicious alternatives to favourite foods, The Pea and The Spoon was born to share recipe creations with others. All recipes are free from gluten, refined sugar, dairy and meats used are grass fed with some vegan and vegetarian options. Aside blogging, this year Nico will be hosting supper clubs in London and next year in Australia.