Ingredients

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon), cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 3/4 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• , sifted
• 1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
• 1/4 cup chopped candied cherries
• 12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or broken into small pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 or 3 cookie sheets with aluminum foil, and lightly grease or spray the foil.
2. Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and milk in a small, heavy saucepan.
3. Cook ingredients over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring often with a wooden spoon.
4. Remove pan from heat and stir in ground almonds, flour, candied orange peel and cherries. Batter should be smooth and soft but not runny; add more flour or milk if necessary.
5. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto foil-lined cookie sheets, allowing at least 2 1/2 to 3 inches between cookies, as batter will spread.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until cookies have spread and become lacy. Remove from oven. Cookies are completely pliable while still hot.
7. Try to push cookies with a spatula or knife into a circle shape if they become distorted during baking. Let cookies cool on cookie sheets for 3 to 5 minutes, then carefully peel them off the foil. Set on a sheet of lightly greased or sprayed aluminum foil.
8. When cookies have cooled completely, set on a wire rack. Melt chocolate in a microwave on 80 percent power or in the top of a double boiler over warm water until melted, stirring occasionally. Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom of each cookie with chocolate. Return to wire rack, chocolate side up, and set in a cool place until chocolate sets completely. (If your kitchen is warm, you may need to refrigerate cookies for about 5 minutes to set the chocolate.)