Afghan Biscuits
This Afghan biscuits recipe is beloved in New Zealand with a cornflake and a cocoa biscuit, topped with a thick icing and essential walnut halve that is frequented as a homemade creation.
Servings 12 medium biscuits
Calories 315kcal
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 200 grams / 7 ounces butter softened
- 100 grams / ½ cup brown sugar
- 240 grams / 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 5 grams / 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 22 grams / 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 47 grams / 2 cups cornflakes lightly crushed
Icing
- 14 grams / 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 120 grams / 1 cup confectioner’s/icing sugar
- 10 grams / ¾ tablespoon butter
- 45 grams / 3 tablespoons water
- 6 walnuts halved
Instructions
Biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
- Place the softened butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until well combined and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes with a hand mixer.
- Sift the flour, baking soda and cocoa powder into the mixture along with the cornflakes and fold slowly until no dry portions remain in the bowl.
- Take a large tablespoon amount and roll into a ball.
- Place on the cookie tray and flatten slightly as this will be how they bake, ensuring 1 inch between each.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until you can smell them and the biscuits look matte and cracks are beginning to appear on top.
- Remove and allow to cool fully.
Icing
- Place the cocoa powder, icing sugar, butter and water into a bowl and combine until smooth and the consistency is spreadable, but holds slightly when you press against the edge of the bowl.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of the icing (see note) over each cookie and top with a walnut.
- Eat as you wish, shared or all for yourself.
Video
Notes
- Brown sugar: This lends more a warm depth to these biscuits and helps in giving them the soft texture as opposed to crunch you can have in cookies. Light brown was used and dark brown sugar would likely change the overall flavor so it is not recommended to completely replace with dark brown sugar. You could use a 50/50 mixture of light and dark or replace in equal measure with golden caster sugar.
- Walnut halves: Walnut halves complete an afghan biscuit thanks to their flavor and crunch that compliments the cocoa and cornflake biscuit perfectly! It also adds a slight savoriness to the icing which is naturally quite sweet. You could replace with a pecan or hazelnuts for a twist.
- Shaping the biscuits: When you begin handling Afghan biscuit dough you'll notice it is quite crumbly, even if you have mixed all ingredients well together, the warmth of your hands will help to keep the butter soft in the biscuits and hold them together...get your hands a little messy here and these will be perfect.
- Spreading that thick icing on the biscuits: The easiest way to spread on your biscuits is to spread in one direction and then spread in another direction, this will help hold it to stick to the matte biscuit topping.
Nutrition
Calories: 315kcal