In the Kitchen: Florentines!

Freshly baked florentines take me right back into my Nana's kitchen on her five acre farm at morning tea time. Their fresh-out-of-the-oven scent would mix with the fresh country air and send a sugar rush through your body before you even bite into the crunchy biscuit. Their substantial serving size paired with a nice cuppa is the perfect way to see through morning tea-time and on to lunch. This recipe is uncomplicated and easy as pie. The hardest part is spreading the chocolate over the back of the biscuits and then waiting patiently until they set in the fridge!

This is what you need:

1 and a quarter cup of sultanas

1 and a quarter cup of crushed peanuts

3 cups of cornflakes (lightly crushed)

1 cup of glace cherries

1 tin of condensed milk

125 grams of chocolate (Go for a quality chocolate over a cooking one. You can use either milk, white or dark chocolate recipe; I have used milk.)

Preheat your oven to 180c.

Combine all of the dry ingredients, including the glace cherries, in a large bowl.

Mix through the condensed milk.

Line trays with baking paper and spoon small heaps of mixture onto trays.

Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes  - make sure you do keep any eye on them though because they can burn quite quickly and no one wants to eat burnt bickies! Allow them to cool once out of the oven.

Meanwhile break up your chocolate and melt it in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (also known as a ‘double boiler’).

With a butter knife spread the melted chocolate over the base of the cooled biscuits. Place on a tray and refrigerate until set. 

Pop the kettle on, get out your finest morning tea plate set, make a pretty arrangement, sit down, and savour every bite. Enjoy!