As a child my mum would make these by the bucket load and when surprise visitors came to the house she would whip our a plate of them and they would disappear as quick as they arrrived. They make a great last minute gift and are just delicious.

You can stop beating yourself up over your chocolate habit as research has now proved beyond doubt that chocolate reduces the risk of stroke or heart attack by increasing flow of blood around the brain and lowering blood pressure. A recent study by The German Institute of Human nutrition has shown that flavanols from cocoa boost the body's supply of nitric oxide, which helps to lower blood pressure.