Toss the diced cherries with a handful of the flour. 

Place the butter and almond in a mixing bowl and beat until soft. 

Whisk in the sugar. 

Whisk in the cherries.

Add 300g of the flour and whisk until it starts to resemble thick breadcrumbs. 

Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it. 

Knead until it’s a workable ball, adding the rest of the flour if necessary. 

Place on baking paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Dust a work surface with flour and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted). 

Line 2 baking trays with baking paper or lightly grease them with butter.

Roll the dough out to around 5mm thick and use a cutter to cut out 12 cookies, kneading and rerolling as needed. 

Place the cookies on the baking trays (6 each), leaving a little space between each.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. 

Leave to cool for a few minutes. 

Carefully remove to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. 

If desired, carefully melt the chocolate in a pan or the microwave and roughly drizzle over the cooled cookies with a piping bag or spoon.