Ingredients
50g butter
50g sugar
50g golden syrup
50g plain flour
75g dried fruit, finely chopped
50g nuts, finely chopped
200g chocolate
Experiment!
Almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts - all nuts are great additions to a Chocolate Florentine.
Dried cranberries, cherries and candied peel are traditional fruits to use in the recipe – however dates, prunes, dried apricot, mango and pineapple give great fruitiness to the biscuit.
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4. Line three baking trays with baking parchment or silicon sheets.
Step 2
Measure the butter, sugar and syrup into a small pan and heat gently until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour, chopped dried fruit and nuts to the pan. Stir well to mix.
Step 3
Make 18 Florentines by spooning six teaspoonfuls of the mixture on to each of the prepared baking trays, leaving plenty of room for them to spread during cooking.
Step 4
Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Leave the Florentines to cool before lifting onto a cooling rack using a palette knife (if the Florentines have been baked on greased baking trays, then allow them to harden for a few moments only before lifting onto cooling racks to cool completely). If the Florentines become too hard to remove, then pop them back into the oven for a few minutes to allow them to soften.
Step 5
Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water. Break chocolate into squares and melt the chocolate in the bowl.
Step 6
Spread a little melted chocolate over the flat base of each Florentine and leave to cool slightly before marking a zigzag in the chocolate with a fork. Leave to set, chocolate side up on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
