In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for an easy vegan pecan pie. This dish will be perfect for serving in the upcoming festive season. It looks impressive and slices beautifully.
Pecan pie hails from the southern US states. After a google search, I discovered that it’s traditionally made with eggs, butter, refined sugar and corn syrup. I decided to ditch all of these and use some of my favourite plant-based ingredients instead.
For the crust, I use my ‘go to’ sweet pastry recipe (which I first shared in my Mince Pie post). I’ve never had a fail with this pastry and I love how crisp it turns out. Unlike many pastry recipes, it’s also palm-oil free as it uses coconut butter (the aroma-free/culinary kind) instead of dairy-free spread/vegan butter.
I absolutely love this time of year, with the trees full of blossom and the wisteria out in flower. Not only does it look stunning, but it smells glorious too! Here in Bath, the weather is finally starting to warm up and we’ve actually managed a few meals in the garden this past week. Our dinners have definitely shifted to lighter dishes, and I’m looking forward to sharing some of our favourites over the coming weeks.
The rolls are a vegan twist on the classic Vietnamese summer roll. Instead of meat or prawns, the rolls are filled with a rainbow of fresh veggies, making them both visually beautiful and delicious.
Today I’m sharing my “go-to” recipe for chocolate cupcakes. This recipe has never left me down. My oven can be really temperamental when it comes to cake baking, but these cupcakes always turn out perfectly. They’re light, fluffy and deliciously moist.
I’ve made them numerous times for fundraisers and they always sell in a flash. None of the children at our local school are vegan, but they choose these cupcakes simply because they love them. It also makes me happy to know that the children with dairy allergies are able to join in. I often spot their mums making a beeline for me as I step through the school gate with my cake tin.
Next Friday is the annual Macmillan coffee morning here in the UK, which has now gained the status of the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Last year, the event raised a wopping £25 million for people affected by cancer.
I love this time of year when the British hedgerows and allotments are laden with berries. Whenever I’m out on a run along the river and canal paths, I can never resist pausing to grab a handful of blackberries. If you see someone running round Bath with purple stained hands, that’ll be me!
In today’ post, I’m sharing a recipe that showcases another glorious summer fruit – the raspberry ♥
These No Bake Strawberry Tarts are a deliciously healthy treat – light, fresh, and bursting with summer berry flavour. Featuring a quick homemade chia jam and a nutrient-rich oat and nut crust, they make the perfect no-fuss snack or dessert on warmer days.
But before we dive into the recipe, there’s a special moment I’d love to share — one I’d been quietly dreaming about for years…
For this month’s Suma Blogger’s Network entry, I though I’d share one of my latest treat obsessions – Vegan Florentines ♥
I’ve been dreaming about Florentines ever since I saw them on display in the patisserie shops of Venice and Florence a few years ago. I’d never seen anything quite like them before. They looked so dainty yet totally decadent with their dark chocolate bottoms! I was pretty sure that they’d be full of dairy and off limits to me, but I was excited about the thought of creating a vegan version one day.
This week I finally got round to a little Florentine experimentation in the kitchen.
After a quick internet search, I discovered that Florentines are typically made with cane sugar, honey, butter, candied cherries, candied citrus peel and almonds. Since I’m not a fan of the first 4 ingredients, and I know a lot of my readers aren’t keen on candied peel, I ended up subbing 5 of the 6 ingredients. The almonds stayed 😉
The cane sugar and honey was swapped for coconut sugar and maple syrup, which gave the Florentines a wonderful golden hue and caramel-like sweetness. Instead of candied cherries and citrus peel, I used dried cranberries and orange zest. This gave the Florentines a fresh, citrussy flavour which I absolutely loved. The butter was exchanged for non dairy spread or organic aroma-free coconut butter.
I’ve done 6 trials so far this week, playing around with different ingredient ratios and combos. All have tasted delicious, but I was striving to bake a Florentine that was super thin with the traditional ‘lacey’ texture on the underside. By the 4th trial, I’d cracked it.
Once cooled, I then added the classic Florentine wavy chocolate bottom.
These Florentines are my new treat obsession. I absolutely love their texture – crisp on the outside, chewy in the centre with a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate bottom. Plus the flavour combination is so lush. The citrus zest gives them a wonderful lift while the dark chocolate makes them feel decadent.
Another great thing about this biscuit is that each one only contains 1 tsp of mixture which, in my eyes, makes it totally acceptable to go back for a second or third 🙂
‘M’ and Lil’ L seem to love them as much as me. I’ve made 72 so far this week, and there are very few left in the biscuit tin! I also took along a sample to my Tuesday night study class and they were a big hit!
Recipe Card
Cranberry, Orange and Dark Chocolate Florentines (Dairy-free | Vegan)
These Vegan Florentines are crisp on the outside, chewy in the centre, and finished with a smooth layer of dark chocolate. The zesty citrus and rich chocolate make them feel extra special.For the best results, I recommend weighing the ingredients. The shape and signature ‘laciness’ can vary depending on the size of the fruit and nut pieces, and the type of flour or fat used – but whatever their form, they’re always delicious!
30g3 TBSP coconut sugar or golden caster (unrefined cane) sugar
30g/ 2 TBSP maple syrup
18g2 TBSP fine wholemeal (whole wheat pastry) flour, chapatti flour or gluten-free flour mix
30g/ 3 TBSP dried cranberriesfinely chopped
zest of 1 unwaxed / organic orange
100g/ 3½ oz dark chocolate (or substitute with dark choc chips)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F. Line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
Crush the almonds between your fingers to break them up.
In a small pan, gently heat the dairy-free spread / 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.
Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 8 minutes, or until the edges of the Florentines have browned. Leave to cool. (They will be very soft when they come out the oven, but they firm up as they cool).
Place the chocolate pieces in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl). When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat. If the chocolate is very runny, stir until it thickens slightly. Using a knife, coat the bottom of each Florentine. Before the chocolate sets, wiggle a fork across it to form a wavy pattern.
Chill the Florentines until fully set, then transfer to an airtight container. Stored in the refrigerator, these Florentines will keep for at least a couple of weeks. They also freeze really well.
If you make these Vegan Florentines, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I’d love to see them! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
