Treat your friends to some delicious protein packed honey nut bites coated with a layer of luxurious dark chocolate.
Roughly chop ten dried apricots and 325 grams of mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, brasil nuts and hazelnuts work well). Combine the nuts and apricots in a bowl with 25 grams of sunflower seeds.
To make the honey caramel, melt two tablespoons of salted butter with 120 ml runny honey, give the mixture a good stir and gently simmer for ten minutes until the caramel turns a rich toffee colour. Combine the caramel with the nut mixture and pile into a baking parchment lined 18 cm square baking tray.
Using the back of a wooden spoon compact everything together flapjack style and pop the tray into the fridge until the mixture has set hard enough to cut into small squares. Melt 100 grams of good quality dark chocolate (preferably at least 70% cocoa solids) in a heatproof bowl over simmering water and dip the nutty squares into the smooth chocolate until half coated. Place them on a sheet of baking parchment and allow to cool, when the chocolate has set the bites are ready and just waiting to be devoured.
Earl Grey perfectly balances the rich flavours of the dark chocolate and the sweetness of the honey caramel - a rewarding, indulgent treat.
Tea pairing: Earl Grey