Caramel lace biscuits

Makes 18 Cakes, Bread and Pastries

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Method

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C F/Gas 3. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, ground almonds, honey, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Transfer the mixture to the fridge to thicken and set – or put it in the freezer for 5–10 minutes.

Roll the chilled mixture into 18 x 8g balls. You could freeze the balls at this stage if you don’t want to bake them all at once. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking trays, allowing ample room between them as they will spread a lot.

Bake the biscuits in batches for 6–7 minutes or until thin and lace-like. Remove from the oven and, using a ring cutter, gently move each biscuit in a circular motion to make a uniform round shape. Allow to cool completely on the trays.

Temper the chocolate by putting half in a microwavesafe bowl and microwaving on medium heat in 30-second intervals until melted, stirring between each interval. Once melted, carefully dip your finger in to make sure the chocolate hasn’t overheated, then add the remaining chocolate and stir constantly until completely melted.

Spread a little chocolate on to a plate and set aside for 3–7 minutes; if it becomes matt and sets in this time, it is tempered. If it remains tacky and liquid, it may have overheated and simply melted. If so, you can add more chocolate pieces into the melted chocolate and continue stirring until the desired consistency is reached, but you can use it in its melted state if you prefer (tempering will just give a better snap and shine).

Drizzle the tempered or melted chocolate over the cookies and leave to firm up before serving – you can put them in the fridge to speed this up if you like.