Active Time

　　45 min

　　Total Time

　　2 1/2 hr

　　Candied-Fruit Honey Wafers Dipped in Chocolate

　　You might be tempted to bake 2 sheets of cookies at a time in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Don't give in to this urge — the cookies must go in the middle of the oven to cook through and brown evenly.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 7 dozen cookies

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　2 1/2 tablespoons mild honey

　　2 tablespoons heavy cream

　　2/3 cup sliced almonds

　　1/4 cup finely chopped fine-quality candied orange peel*

　　8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped

　　

Special Equipment

parchment paper

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Boil sugar, butter, honey, and cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until creamy and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almonds and orange peel (batter will be thin).

　　

Step 3

Drop level 1/2 teaspoons of batter about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. (Batter will thicken as it cools; you may need to reheat for last few batches.) Bake in batches in middle of oven until golden brown and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. (Cookies will look runny at this point.) Cool cookies on sheets on racks until firm enough to be lifted, about 2 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. (These cookies are very delicate; if they become too brittle to lift easily, return to oven to soften, about 1 minute.)

　　

Step 4

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, then remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat. Dip about one third of each cookie into chocolate, then transfer to a parchment-lined tray. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.

　　Cooks' note:

　　· Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax or parchment paper (do not overlap) and chilled in an airtight container, 1 week.

　　Available through Fauchon (866-308-5919) or The Baker's Catalogue (800-827-6836).