Florentines

Ingredients

Method

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 (190 °C; 375 °F).

Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Spread the flaked almonds out on a baking sheet and place in the top of the oven. Bake until golden brown.

Once the flaked almonds are toasty, put them into a mixing bowl and add fruit, salt if used, and the flour. Turn to coat the ingredients with flour.

In a non-stick saucepan, on medium heat, whisk together the cream, sugar, honey and butter until the mixture simmers and the sugar is dissolved. Continue to simmer for another minute.

Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour into almond mixture. Stir to combine.

Taking 2 teaspoons of mixture at a time form rounded and flattened cookies on the baking sheet, leaving 2 cm between cookies.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the cookies are browning at the edges, check them from 10 mins onwards.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then, using a metal spatula, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cookies have cooled, put a bowl over boiling water and melt the chocolate. Using a pastry brush, paint the molten chocolate onto the flat bottom of each cookie and allow to cool and solidify. Re-paint to use up any surplus chocolate.