Florentines

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Grease and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, honey, salt and lemon zest and juice over a medium heat until simmering.

Add in the flaked almonds and mixed fruit (and glacé cherries if using).

Gently stir in the flour to coat the mixture. Cook over a medium heat for 1 minute.

Spread the mixture onto the lined baking sheet (spread it thinly to ensure the nuts bake evenly).

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 6-8 minutes, removing them as soon as the almonds are turning golden and the edges of the mixture are starting to caramelise (the mixture will burn rapidly after this point). Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 1 minute.

Using a metal cookie cutter on a cool, lightly greased plate or other flat surface, gather a spoonful of the mixture at a time and place inside the cutter. Press the mixture down into the cutter, flattening it with the back of a wet spoon, then remove the cutter (you can further compress the warmed mixture with your fingertips to ensure there are no gaps after removing the cutter). Repeat to make more discs before leaving them to cool fully.

For the chocolate topping, use a palette knife to turn the cooled florentines over. Use a teaspoon to pour melted chocolate over the flat side of each biscuit. Leave with the chocolate side up in a cool place (or refrigerator) for a few minutes. Once the chocolate starts to harden, use the prongs of a fork to mark lines in the chocolate and leave in a cool place to set fully. Store in an airtight container, in a cool place for a week.