You know how sometimes we see ourselves a certain way, but when we tell others, they look at you with that “you’re kidding yourself” look? Well I usually manage this with my own “you don’t what you’re talking about” look as I turn (and in my mind) graciously walk away.

And it’s worked beautifully. Until recently.

I think it’s the kid’s fault.

I find things I say to them come back to haunt me at the most inconvenient times. Things like focus, sit still, pay attention. All things, that I now realise, I struggle with on a daily basis! For a while,  I was convinced I had some form of adult-onselt undiagnosed ADD. There was no way I could pull off what I was asking the kids to do! I get up and start walking around any chance I get. I start something and half way through it I decide to do a load of laundry. My saving grace is that I don’t stop until I’ve  finished all my half started jobs. So at the end of the day, what looks like chaos, somehow manages to come together in an efficient  climax!

I realised however that my attention span issues were across the board. 
Especially when it came to food.
I have never been able to eat too much of anything.
I get bored.
But alternate tastes between salty, sweet, sour and spicy and I can pick  for hours! Like dipping salty, sesame pretzel sticks into Nutella. Best ever!
Or black forest cake, the sour cherries cut through the chocolatey sweetness perfectly!
And while I am not much of a biscuit fan, the idea of black forest biscuit caught my attenion. 
 

The recipe came from a new book I had recently bought, ‘Bourke Street Bakery – the ultimate baking companion’. And my goodness these were good! The burst of sourness in all that sweetness kept me coming back for more. 
The recipe is exactly as it appears in the book but I doubled the amount of cherries in my version.

Chocolate and Sour Cherry Biscuits
(Bourke Street Bakery)

235g dark chocolate
150g plain flour
40g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g unsalted butter
240g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
85g dried sour cherries

Preheat oven to 165 degrees celsius.
Put chocolate in a stainless steel bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
Allow the water in the saucepan to boil for 2 mins then turn off the heat and stir the chocolate while it slowly melts.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding more. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing well after each addition, then add the melted chocolate and mix until well combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, then fold through the dried sour cherries. The mix can become quite sticky, so you may need to refrigerate it for 15 minutes before shaping the biscuits. Take 3 tablespoons of mixture at a time and roll into even-sized balls – you should make about 12 balls in total. Place the balls on baking trays lined with baking paper, allowing room for them to spread. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes, or until firm. Bake in batches, for 15-20 minutes each, or until risen and quite cracked on top. Cool on the trays and eat, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.