Fruit & Nut Thins - a new addition to my Holiday Baking roster!

I'm always looking for baking inspiration in magazines and online, especially leading up to the Holidays. As much as I love traditions, I also like to a add a few new recipes to my roster - after all there is a world of possibilities out there! 

I came across this recipe in Chatelaine and thought I could change it up a bit to make it gluten-free so that I could bring it into the office to share with patients. The flavors are really nice. LOVE the orange peel flavor. And pistachio and cherry go really well together too! But it you don't love a specific nut or dried fruit, you can certainly change it up in this recipe - hazelnuts, almonds, cranberries, figs - these would all be great I think!

Fruit & Nut Thins

-3/4 cup shelled pistachios
-1/4 cup raw almonds
-1/2 dried cherries
-zest of one orange
-zest of one lemon (optional)
-1/2 tsp. salt

Place the above ingredients into a bowl, then sift the following ingredients into another bowl:

-2 3/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free but spelt would be great)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda

Into a saucepan over medium heat add the following:

-1/2 cup butter
-1/3 cup water
-1 cup brown sugar
-1 tsp ground cardamon
-1 tsp cinnamon

Heat the above ingredients for about 5 min. (sugar needs to be dissolved). Pour over nuts mixture, then add the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap, with sides overhanging. Transfer the mixture into the loaf pan and flatten it down, covering with the plastic wrap. Transfer to the freezer and freeze at least one hour before slicing.

Preheat oven to 350 C. Remove the loaf pan from freezer, and remove the frozen block from pan by pulling on the plastic wrap. Slice using a sharp knife and transfer slices to a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving 1/2 inch space between slices.  Bake for 15 min or until golden. For a crispier 'biscotti-like' cookie bake at 300 C for longer.