Florentines

Makes 15 cookies
Prep Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 15 mins
Ingredients

• 50g/2oz Low fat butter spread or butter, your choice (see Cook’s tips 1.)
• 50g/2oz Caster sugar
• 50g/2oz Blanched Almonds, finely chopped
• 25g/1oz Glace cherries, roughly chopped
• 20g/ ½ oz Flaked Almond slivers
• 20g/ ½ oz Hazelnuts, finely chopped
• 25g/1 oz Mixed peel
• 40ml/1 tbsp Low fat crème fraiche or double cream, your choice
• 150g/6oz Dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

Method

• Melt the low fat spread in a medium size saucepan, add the sugar and stir
• Bring slowly to the boil, stirring frequently
• Add the nuts, cherries and mixed peel
• Stir in the crème fraiche to heat through, but don’t let it boil
• Lay the Bakewell paper on the baking trays
• Put a teaspoonful of the mixture onto the trays, spaced well apart
• Flatten the biscuits down with a palette knife of use the back of a large spoon
• Bake in a pre heated oven 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 for about 10 minutes, until they’re golden brown
• Remove them from the oven and allow to cool slightly
• Carefully remove them from the baking trays, using a palette knife
• Place on a wire rack to cool completely
• Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a basin over a saucepan of slightly simmering water to melt, stir frequently. Make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water
• Once the chocolate has melted, spread over the smooth sides of the Florentines to cover them completely and leave the chocolate to slightly cool
• Once the chocolate begins to set, use a fork to make to the swirls

Cook's tips

• 1. I used Bertolli

Equipment

• Heatproof bowl
• Saucepan
• 2 Large baking trays
• Bakewell paper

Shopping List

• 50g/2oz Low fat butter spread or butter
• 50g/2oz Caster sugar
• 50g/2oz Blanched Almonds
• 25g/1oz Glace cherries
• 20g/ ½ oz Flaked Almond slivers
• 20g/ ½ oz Hazelnuts
• 25g/1 oz Mixed peel
• 40ml/1 tbsp Low fat crème fraiche or double cream
• 150g/6oz Dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

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