Easy Afghan biscuit recipe

March 14, 2017 By

For those who love all things cookie; I’m looking at you cookie monster, you may already be familiar with Afghan biscuits or cookies to our American friends. If not, they’re a must try! These Afghan biscuits are creamy, nutty, chocolatey, crunchy and could be the definition of yum. They’re hit with both little kids and big kids alike.

The origin of the Afghan biscuit recipe and the derivation of the name are unknown, but the recipe has appeared in many editions of the influential New Zealand Edmonds Cookery Book. They’re surely one of the country’s greatest exports, second only to Richard Wilkins hair.

This recipe has a high proportion of butter, and relatively low sugar, no rising agent, giving them a soft, dense and rich texture, with crunchiness from the cornflakes, rather than from a high sugar content. The substantial butter used gives the biscuit a soft melt-in-the-mouth texture, and the sweetness of the icing offsets the low sugar content of the biscuit and the cocoa bitterness.

The simple ingredients and easy steps make these biscuits the perfect treat to make on a lazy Sunday to have with a cuppa. With the added bonus of many of the ingredients required being pantry staples why not give this Afghan biscuit recipe a try.

If you love this Afghan biscuit recipe then be sure to check out our recipes for florentine biscuits, oatmeal raisin cookies, melting moments with jam.

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Easy Afghan biscuit recipe
 
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These afghan biscuits are creamy, nutty, chocolatey, crunchy and could be the definition of yum.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: New Zealand
Serves: 30
Ingredients
Biscuits
  • 250g butter softened
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup Cocoa powder
  • 1⅔ cups plain flour
  • 2½ cups cornflakes
  • Walnuts, to decorate
Chocolate icing
  • 1½ cups icing sugar mixture
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced.
  2. Grease 2 large baking trays and line with baking paper.
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add cocoa and flour. Beat on low speed until combined. Stir in cornflakes. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Flatten slightly. Place onto prepared trays, 4cm apart, to allow room for spreading during cooking.
  4. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until just firm to the touch, swapping trays halfway through cooking. Cool completely on tray
  5. Make Chocolate icing: Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Gradually stir in enough hot water until the mixture is smooth and combined.
  6. Add a teaspoon of chocolate icing onto the tops of the biscuits, spreading slightly (see note). Decorate with walnuts. Set aside for 1 hour to set. Serve.

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Florentine biscuits

March 14, 2016 By

A few months ago we went on a picnic at the beautiful King’s Park in Perth with Brooke’s parents. To finish off with a sweet treat, Brooke’s Mum had brought along some Florentine biscuits. What’s not to love about this ultimate biscuit? A Florentine biscuit or Florentines are made of nuts (most typically almond or hazel), glacier cherries, dried fruit and they are often coated on the bottom with chocolate. They are rich and indulgent and should have a nice crunch when you bite into them. Their toffee-like texture and combination of Cornflakes in our recipe will also give you flashbacks to your childhood memories of Honey Joys – only now with a grown-up twist.

Most recipes use melted butter, sugar, and honey as their binding agent. For us, we used a good old can of condensed milk. When adding your condensed milk, the key to making a successful Florentine is to ensure you coat the mixture enough to bind the ingredients. Adding too much will weigh your biscuit down or leave it soggy. You want to ensure you have the satisfying crunch at the end! If you are worried you have added too much condensed milk, you can stir through some extra cornflakes to help absorb some of the additional liquid.

Once your mixture is ready, spoon the mixture onto a lined baking tray or into a greased muffin tray like we did. Using the muffin tray keeps the biscuits in a nice uniformed shape and ensures you end up with 24 biscuits. Baking on a low heat for 10-12 minutes till golden-brown, will ensure you have a lovely chewy and crisp little caramel treat.

Once removed from the oven, you can take these biscuits to another level adding a thin layer of dark chocolate on the bottom. Allow the chocolate to set then enjoy these decadent coffee shop biscuits with a cup of tea or coffee.

Looking for another biscuit or cookie recipe then try our ginger nut biscuits, cranberry pistachio biscotti or oatmeal raisin cookies.

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Florentine biscuits – Recipe Instructions

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Florentine biscuits
 
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A Florentine biscuit or Florentines are made of nuts (most typically almond or hazel), glacier cherries, dried fruit and they are often coated on the bottom with chocolate.
Author:
Recipe type: Buscuits
Cuisine: British
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 3 Cups Cornflakes
  • 110g almonds (slivered/ sliced)
  • ½ cup chopped glacier cherries
  • ½ cup currants
  • ⅔ can condensed milk
  • Dark chocolate for drizzling
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
  2. Combine the cornflakes, almonds, cherries, currants and condensed milk in a bowl. Mix until the ingredients are evenly coated.
  3. Spoon the mixture into a greased muffin tray and press lightly to ensure they are compact.
  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown, then set aside on a wire rack to cool.
  5. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over biscuits or dip the bottom. Place the biscuits chocolate side up, on a wire rack until set.

 

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