AFGHAN COOKIES/BISCUITS

New Zealand buttery chocolate cookies or "biscuits" as the Kiwis (people from New Zealand) call it are easy to make chocolate cookies with crunchy cornflakes in every buttery bite and glazed with a decadent chocolate icing! The piece de resistance is that single walnut that crowns this scrumptious cookie!

These divine cookies actually taste best the next day, but please let me not stop you from biting into a couple or two when freshly baked; I have!

With Christmas almost around the corner, this can be one of the cookies you pack or share in your Christmas cookie basket or of course for any time of the year!

FOR THE COOKIES:

¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or you can use all-purpose flour)

¼ cup cocoa powder

2 cups cornflakes

Pinch of salt

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICING:

1 ¼ cups icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon softened butter

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Dash of vanilla essence

2 tablespoons of hot water

Whole or halved walnuts for topping

Colored sugar sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F.

Line two baking trays/sheets with parchment paper/aluminum foil or just grease with melted butter/oil/ghee; set aside.

Crush cornflakes with your hands to a coarse mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, cream softened, room temperature butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy.

Add whole wheat flour, cocoa powder and pinch salt to the creamed butter-sugar mixture. Beat until combined.

Stir in crushed cornflakes and mix with your hands or a spatula until fully combined.

Form small lemon sized balls of the dough by pressing a handful of dough crumbs together and flatten slightly. If you feel the dough is too crumbly, just splash a few drops of water or milk.

Place them on greased or lined baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookies are baked and firm.

Remove, let cool on pan for about a minute and then transfer gently with a flat spatula to a cookie rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, in a small bowl, sift icing sugar and cocoa powder through a sieve to remove all lumps.

Add butter, a dash of vanilla essence and hot water. Gently mix with a spoon until the mixture is smooth and slightly thick but flowing.

Once the baked cookies are cool, using a spatula/knife, spread the chocolate icing over the cookies and top with a single walnut and sprinkle colored sugar sprinkles (optional).

Keep aside the cookies to allow the icing to set completely; about an hour.

Enjoy crispy, crunchy and decadent chocolate Afghan cookies with a tall glass of milk or hot coffee!

If you like, you can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour.

Do not crush the cornflakes too fine; you need the crunchy bite in each cookie!

if you do not like or have walnuts, use any topping you like; cashew, pistachios, peanuts, colored sugar sprinkles, dessicated coconut etc.

If you are on a low-sugar diet, then just avoid the icing; the cookies taste great nevertheless!