Vegan Florentine Cookies

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These crispy caramel & almond cookies with salted pistachios and chocolate are a Christmas classic and soo easy to make!

I cannot believe that this is the first year I have made Florentine cookies. After the first batch, they instantly became one of my favourite Christmas cookies ever and I knew I wanted to share a vegan version of them with you! Crispy, buttery and sweet – these cookies taste like drops of heaven. The combination of crunchy almonds, paired with salted pistachios, caramel and of course chocolate, is seriously addictive.

The great thing about Florentine cookies is how easy they are to make. They don’t need to be chilled like sugar cookies and a lot of other doughs. They don’t require any special kitchen equipment either. Plus they keep well, for up to a week, when stored in an airtight cookie jar…if they aren’t all eaten sooner. 😉

Veganizing It

The original Florentine cookies contain heavy cream and honey – two ingredients which can be subbed easily. Instead of heavy cream, we are using soy cream and, in place of the honey, a bit of rice syrup. If you do eat honey, feel free to make the recipe with honey, as this gives the cookies a lovely flavour.

To keep this recipe vegan, use vegan dark chocolate, thus a bar that doesn’t contain butter fat or milk powder. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the more likely it is that the chocolate bar is vegan.

Are Florentine cookies from Florence?

Despite their name, Florentine cookies have no connection to the Italian city Florence. In fact, they aren’t even known in Italy. Instead it is assumed that they originated in France. Just like Linzer cookies, they are are a very popular Christmas cookie in Austria and Germany. Oftentimes Florentine cookies also contain dried fruit as well. However, I prefer the recipe with just nuts, as I find that too many different flavours can be a bit distracting.

Tips for making the best Florentine cookies

My top tip for making Florentine cookies is to work quickly. Once the caramel is combined with the nuts, it starts to firm up quite fast. It’s very helpful to lay out your baking sheet and parchment paper sheets before you start with the recipe.

It is also vital to keep a very close eye on the cookie mixture as it bakes because the caramel can burn quickly. Since all ovens are a bit different, check on them periodically and take them out sooner than the recipe calls for, if they are already golden brown.

Happy Baking!

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