SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE BISCUITS

Makes 16 cookies

225 g (8 oz/1¾ cups) buckwheat flour, plus extra to dust
100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) • a tiny pinch of sea salt
½ tsp baking powder • 4 tbsp maple syrup • 2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp melted coconut oil • 1 tbsp almond milk • 2 large eggs • 10 pitted Medjool dates
2 tbsp almond butter • tiny pinch of sea salt
200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa), melted

To make the recipe vegan you can substitute the eggs with flax ‘egg’, an excellent vegan alternative. Just mix 2 tablespoons flaxseeds and 6 tablespoons water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder in a bowl and stir. Add the maple syrup, almond butter, coconut oil, almond milk and eggs, giving it all a good stir – you may want to use your hands. It will be a sticky dough.

Dust a work surface with a little buckwheat flour and then tip the dough out. Gently, using your hands or a rolling pin, smooth the dough out until it is 3-4 mm (1/8 in) thick. You can add more flour if it’s still too sticky, but don’t be too liberal or you will end up with a tough cookie.

Use a round 7 cm (3 in) cookie cutter to cut out the dough and use a palette knife to carefully pop onto the prepared tray. Bake for about 10 minutes, until lovely and golden. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, for the caramel layer, simply blend the dates, almond butter, 1 tablespoon of water and sea salt together in a food processor, until smooth-ish and creamy.

Once the biscuits are cooled, spread them with a layer of caramel. These then need to set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then either dip the biscuits in the melted chocolate, or spoon the chocolate over and then leave to set. They will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.