INGREDIENTS
125 g blanched almonds
120 g pistachios
220 g dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa solids), chopped
150 g unsalted butter, chopped
225 g plain (all-purpose) flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
5 g baking powder
220 g caster (superfine) sugar
75 g eggs (lightly beat 2 eggs together, then measure)

TO MAKE

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Put the almonds on a baking tray and roast for about ten minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool. Put the almonds and pistachios in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped, then set aside.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie. When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Line two baking trays with baking paper or a silicone mat.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. Put the sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Using a hand-held whisk, whisk the sugar and eggs until thick and pale, then add the cooled chocolate mixture and fold in well with a wooden spoon. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, as cold eggs may cause your chocolate to crystallise and form hard lumps. Fold in the sifted flour mixture, then add the crushed nuts and combine well.

Shape level tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place onto the lined trays, spacing them about 5 cm apart, then flatten the balls with the palm of your hand to about 5 cm in diameter. Bake for about ten minutes, or until you can see well-defined cracks all the way to the centre of the biscuit. Cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container for up to seven days.

Recipe and image from The French Baker by Jean Michel Raynaud. Published by Murdoch Books. Available now in all good bookstores and online.