Name: Fruit & nut chocolate chequers
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Makes 8 of each flavour
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 150g white chocolate; 1 tbsp dried raspberry flakes; 8 toasted almonds halved; 8 pecan halves; 8 pinches cocoa for dusting; 150g dark chocolate; 1 tbsp candied peel; 1 tbsp dried cranberries or raisins; 8 sugared cashews

For the white chocolates

150g white chocolate
1 tbsp dried raspberry
flakes
8 toasted almonds
halved
8 pecan
halves
8 pinches cocoa
for dusting

For the dark chocolates

150g dark chocolate
1 tbsp candied peel
1 tbsp dried cranberries
or raisins
8 sugared cashews

Method

step 1
Roughly chop the chocolate on chopping boards with a large sharp knife – chopping rather than breaking it into squares will help it to melt nice and quickly. Get someone to help if necessary. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
step 2
Put 2 heatproof mixing bowls over pans half-filled with water – make sure that the base of the bowls doesn’t touch the water. Add the chocolate, then leave to melt over a gentle heat. Once it starts to melt round the edges of the bowl, stir gently just once or twice, then leave to melt again. Remove from the heat.
step 3
Take care, as the bowls will be hot. Using a teaspoon, spoon the melted chocolates onto the paper in round shapes as evenly sized as possible – you need 16 of each type of chocolate. Leave a teaspoon of the white chocolate in the basin for later.
step 4
To decorate the white chocolates, chop the raspberry flakes, then scatter on half the rounds and top with 2 almond halves. Put a pecan on the rest, then swirl over a little of the chocolate left in the bowl. Sprinkle with cocoa.
step 5
To make the dark chocolates, scatter half the rounds with the candied peel and the other half with the chopped cranberries and sugared cashews. Or try a combination of them all.
step 6
Leave the chocolates to set and harden for about 3 hours (the dark chocolate will set before the white), then pack carefully into a box. They will keep for a week.