Carob Florentines

Carob florentines (AIP, Paleo, Low FODMAP, gluten free, nut free, grain free, lactose free, vegetarian, vegan)

I just luuuuurve my naked tight nuts from the tiger nut company. I'm forever thinking up new ways to use them. I wanted to try and utilise them in a recipe in place of slivered almonds, but short of spending 48 hours finely chopping each individual tiger nut by hand with mathematical precision, I wasn't sure how to achieve this. The lightbulb moment came when I realised I could chuck them in the food processor using the fine slicer attachment. Result! Slivered tiger nuts. You can now expect an onslaught of recipes coming your way using these crunchy little gems. My first thought was to attempt to create some florentine biscuits. I wanted to ensure they had crisp edges, a nutty, chewy centre and a chocolatey coating over the back . After a couple of tries I nailed it, making a batch of 20. My husband ate half of them immediately so I took this as a sign of a successful recipe.

These are a great idea to make as a post dinner party treat or even for Christmas. Yes I mentioned Christmas in October, but us food intolerant folk always need to plan ahead. I have used carob in place of chocolate - a low fodmap amount per cookie. However if you are low FODMAP and not AIP you can use dark chocolate. I have also used dried cranberries - a low FODMAP amount per cookie. If the combination of the carob and cranberries is too much for your tolerance you could replace the cranberries with candied peel or dried blueberries. This recipe requires a certain level of accuracy as you do not want too much flour. I have posted some of the ingredient measurements in grams as opposed to my usual 'chuck it in a measuring cup' approach.

This mixture makes 20 florentines

Ingredients:

1 cup of soaked tiger nuts (Please see link below)
50 grams of coconut oil (See link below)
75g of maple syrup
35g of tiger nut powder
1 dessert spoon of arrowroot powder
50g of chopped dried cranberries (or sub with dried blueberries or candied peel)
Zest of half an orange

For the carob coating:

2 tablespoons of coconut oil
5 tablespoons of carob powder
1 tablepoon of maple syrup

Method:

Pre-heat an oven to 180 degrees (fan assisted) and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

To create your slivered tiger nuts, use the thin slice attachment blade on a food processor and blitz the whole soaked tiger nuts. You will be left with fine slivers. Add these to a bowl with the tiger nut powder, dried fruit, orange zest and arrowroot. Mix thoroughly .

In a small pan over a low heat melt your coconut oil and maple syrup. Once melted add your dry mixture, stirring continously until fully combined and you have a thick sticky paste.

Take one teaspoon of the mixture at a time and place on the baking sheet. You want to press this down with your hands to form a small flat biscuit. Too thick and the mixture wont crisp up properly. Place the tray in the centre of your oven and bake for 12 minutes until golden brown. Depending on the size of your tray you will probably need to cook these in 2 batches. The biscuits will be crispy round the edges with a slightly softer chewy centre. Allow these to firm up a little as they cool.

To make your carob coating, create a double boiler by resting a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Add the coconut oil and let it melt completely before adding your carob powder and maple syrup. Keep stirring until this resembles chocolate sauce. Spoon about half a teaspoon onto the back of each biscuit and spread to the edges, covering the back of the biscuit completely.

You can leave these to set on the side or pop in the fridge for 15 minutes to set quickly - it depends how desperate you are to eat them.

These keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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https://www.thetigernutcompany.co.uk/shop/new-organic-naked-tiger-nuts/

Lucy Bee Extra Virgin Fair Trade Organic Raw Coconut Oil 500ml