Recipe: Almond Date Panaforte

A classic ‘naughty but nice’ slice, cut into squares ideal with coffee.

Makes 30 squares (15 servings)

Ingredients:

• 200g of good quality couverture (dark) chocolate finely chopped
• 200g honey
• 200g packet (2 cups) natural almonds, chopped roughly
• 1 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 50g sultanas, chopped
• 50g dried apricots, chopped
• 8 red glace cherries, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ cups plain flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• Icing sugar to sprinkle over the top

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (conventional), 170 degrees (fan-forced) Gently heat chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until melted. Simmer for another 2 minutes stirring gently. Slowly add the honey, combine and stir well. Remove, and set aside.

Combine flour and cocoa in a large bowl and mix together. Add the almonds, all the dried fruit and the cherries and combine well. Pour the chocolate and honey over the dry ingredients. Mix quickly until well combined.

Using wet hands, press the mixture into a greased and lined 18 x 28 x 2.5cm deep slice pan. Bake on the middle shelf for 15 minutes (fan-forced) and 20 minutes (conventional) only. The Panaforte firms on cooling.

Cool thoroughly in the pan, preferably overnight. Sprinkle well with sifted icing sugar. Cut into approx 30, about 3cm x 5cm oblong squares. Store in an airtight container between layers of baking paper.

Recipe provided by the Almond Board of Australia (ABA), the Australian almond industry’s peak body. Australian almonds are absolutely jam-packed with all the good stuff – nutritionally speaking, apart from all the vitamins and minerals, they’re high in protein and fibre and rate a zero in cholesterol. They’re a seriously healthy and tasty handful! For more information or recipes visit www.australianalmonds.com.au