麻豆社

This is a great recipe for Christmas as they can be made in advance and frozen for those unexpected visitors who will then be totally wowed by your culinary prowess.

Ingredients

100g chopped nuts
90g mixed peel, currants, sultanas or raisins or a combination of all of them
40g glace cherries
90g caster sugar
25g unsalted butter
15g plain flour
150ml double cream
100g dark chocolate
10 drops tangerine flavouring
Small pinch cinnamon
2 x baking sheets lined with baking parchment

Method

Preheat your oven to 175C / gas mark 5

1. Chop your dried fruit into small even sized chunks and mix in with the nuts.

2. Melt the butter and sugar gently in a pan stirring constantly to make sure it doesn't burn. The mixture will go sandy first and then turn into a pale butterscotch sauce consistency.

3. Then add your flour and mix in well so you have a sweet roux sauce base.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and then whisk in your cream. Take care as the mixture will fizz and bubble as the sugar roux is really hot and it may splutter and splash.

5. Use some elbow grease to get your sauce lump free and if you struggle return it to a gently heat the lumps with gradually dissolve.

6. Stir in your fruit and nuts and cinnamon and then drop heaped teaspoons of mixture onto your baking tray. You should space each dollop well apart as they quadruple during baking. Bake for 7-9 minutes until they have turned a golden brown and firmed up at the edges.

7. Remove the baking tray from the oven and leave the biscuits to cool.

8. When cool melt your chocolate in the microwave or over a bain marie and then spoon the chocolate over the top of the biscuits. Set in the fridge or pop them in the freezer in single layers until they're frozen and then you can bag them up ready for those unexpected guests.

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