Preheat the oven to 175 degrees and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

Slowly melt the butter in a large pan and then allow to cool

Add the sugar and egg and beat well, before tipping in the flour, baking powder, oats, salt and almond essence if using it, then stir thoroughly to combine.

Spoon eight little balls of mixture on to each sheet; I would say that about 2/3 of a teaspoon is about the right amount as they will spread much further than you think. (Try and poke any sticky-out bits back in so they bake into a nice round shape).

Pop them in the middle shelves of the oven for between 5 and 6 minutes. I tend to check them at the 5 minute mark then give them a little extra as they will burn quite easily; you are aiming for a nice golden colour.

Leave them on the side for a couple of minutes to cool before sliding the baking paper off on to your work top; they will harden as they cool down.

Re-line the baking sheets with greaseproof paper and repeat with rest of the mixture to give you 32 cookies.

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water. If you just want to drizzle chocolate over the top, you will only need 75g chocolate and 1 teaspoon oil; dip the tines of a fork into the melted chocolate, wait a couple of seconds for any big blobs to drop off and then use to dribble lines of glossy chocolate over the top of your beautiful biscuits.

If you’d like to sandwich them together you will need 150g of chocolate and 1 tablespoon of oil (the oil is not entirely necessary but makes the chocolate a little easier to work with!). Using a pastry brush, paint the base of a cookie with a generous layer of chocolate before sandwiching on a second biscuit; allow to set on a wire rack before enjoying with a nice cup of tea!