One of New Zealand's most beloved treats, Afghan Biscuits are rich chocolatey cornflake cookies topped with dreamy chocolate icing and a toasted walnut. Crunchy, decadent, and absolutely irresistible — they're the perfect addition to your holiday cookie table or anytime you need a sweet treat!
If you are looking for an irresistible treat for the holiday season (or any day for that matter), then you MUST TRY these delicious cookies which hail from New Zealand. New Zealand Afghan Cookies (or Afghan Biscuits as they are called in the Land of the Long White Cloud) are perfect for your Christmas dessert table or for gifting your friends and family!
Along with Hokey Pokey Ice Cream, Afghan Biscuits are a favorite of the Kiwis!
Let me tell you about these incredible cookies which your whole family will go nuts for!
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What Are New Zealand Afghan Biscuits (Cookies)?
I first came across these cookies in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. Ms Sheraton described them as a crunchy chocolate cookie perfect for teatime, popular both in New Zealand and Australia. I also learned that they are especially beloved during the Christmas holidays.
The main ingredients of these biscuits are corn flakes, cocoa, and vanilla. The corn flake cereal gives these Afghans an enticing crunch. And the liberal amounts of cocoa and vanilla are the perfect combination for this rich chocolatey cookie.
If that wasn't enough, these cookies also have a chocolate topping! This topping is also made with cocoa and vanilla, and the perfect finishing touch is a toasted half walnut.
Why these cookies are called Afghan Biscuits is not as straightforward as what they are. Some theories as to how they got their name include that they could have been first made by Afghani immigrants, or perhaps during the Afghan War.
Another theory is that the craggy looking top of the cookie resembles the mountainous landscape of Afghanistan. I opt for this theory. 😊
If you are ready to make these heavenly morsels, then please read on and I'll tell you what you need to make this easy dessert!
🥘 Ingredients
So here are the simple ingredients you will need to make this sweet treat:
- Butter - softened to room temperature - you can use salted or unsalted butter
- All purpose flour
- Cocoa powder - rather than using chocolate chips we will use cocoa powder. I love using CocoaX Organic Cocoa Powder with Espresso Powder - 8oz Gluten Free, & Non-GMO Unsweetened Cocoa Powder for Baking
- White sugar
- Corn flakes
- Vanilla extract
And for the icing:
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Butter (either salted or unsalted is fine)
- Vanilla extract
- Water
Please gather your ingredients and roll up your sleeves, and get ready to have a blast making this delicious treat from New Zealand!
🔪 Instructions
This recipe makes about 20 cookies (biscuits).
Preheat your oven to 350F. Add the softened butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and cream together for around 2-3 minutes, or until fluffy and creamy. You can use your stand mixer or hand mixer for this.
Now add the cocoa, vanilla and flour and mix until thoroughly combined. You can use your stand mixer or hand mixer for this.
Add the crunchy cornflakes and stir in lightly using a spoon rather than your mixer. I recommend this so as not to break up your corn flakes.
Shape your cookies by lightly rolling large spoonfuls (a little over a tablespoon) of cookie dough into ball shapes. There should be enough dough to make about 20 cookies. Place these on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper which has been placed on a baking sheet.
Leave some room between the cookies as they will flatten when baking.
Bake cookies for around 13-15 minutes. They will be soft when removed from the oven. Leave them on the baking tray for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make The Icing
While the cookies are baking and cooling you can make your icing. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, melted butter, and vanilla to a large bowl and mix together thoroughly.
Add the hot water a little at a time until you get the consistency of icing that you want. I used almost all of the 2 tablespoon of warm water for my icing.
Icing The Cookies And The Finishing Touch!
Lightly toast the walnuts in a small skillet on medium heat.
Ice the cookies. I used a small spoon and my fingers to spread the icing onto the cookies. Then top with a lightly toasted walnut half and try not to eat them all in one go!
Suggestions For Serving
Grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and an Afghan cornflake cookie or two. These are perfect for an indulgent teatime or coffee time.
They are also great for school snacks, and as mentioned wonderful for serving to your loved ones during the holidays. They will be the star of the show!
Believe me, your sweet tooth will be over the moon delighted with these Afghan biscuits!
FAQ
Store your Afghans in an airtight container. They will keep for a few days, if they last that long!
Afghan biscuits freeze very well! Place them in a freezer bag and enjoy when you desire a special treat!
1,000 Foods To Eat Project
In conclusion, New Zealand Afghan Biscuits is listed in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. I am working my way through the foods listed in this book. This is called my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project. Afghan Biscuits is food #71 in my project! Please visit the 1,000 Foods To Eat Project page to see some other MUST TRY foods of the world that you may love to try!
Some Other Great Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other great recipes that you may enjoy:
Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
Finally, I invite you to come along on this food journey with me! Please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.
Cheers!
Grace
Easy New Zealand Afghan Cornflake Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- baking tray or sheet
- silicone mat or parchment paper
- stand mixer or hand mixer optional but makes creaming and mixing easier!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened and at room temperature; you can use salted or unsalted; this is equivalent to 2 sticks of butter
- 1.25 cups all purpose flour
- .25 cup cocoa powder
- .5 cup white sugar
- 2.5 cups corn flakes
- 1.5 ts vanilla extract
For the chocolate icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 ts vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon water warmed; you may or may not use all of this water
Garnish
- 20 walnut halves toasted!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Add the softened butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and cream together for around 2-3 minutes, or until fluffy and creamy. You can use your stand mixer or hand mixer for this.
- Now add the cocoa, vanilla and flour and mix until thoroughly combined. You can use your stand mixer or hand mixer for this.
- Add the cornflakes and stir in lightly using a spoon rather than your mixer. I recommend this so as not to break up your corn flakes.
- Shape your cookies by lightly rolling large spoonfuls (a little over a tablespoon) of dough into ball shapes. There should be enough dough to make about 20 cookies. Place these on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper which has been placed on a baking tray. Leave some room between the cookies as they will flatten when baking.
- Bake for around 13-15 minutes. They will be soft when removed from the oven. Leave them on the baking tray for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Making The Icing
- While the cookies are baking and cooling you can make your icing. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, melted butter, and vanilla to a large bowl and mix together thoroughly.
- Add the hot water a little at a time until you get the consistency of icing that you want. I used almost all of the 2 tablespoon of warm water for my icing.
Icing The Cookies and The Finishing Touch!
- Lightly toast the walnuts in a small skillet on medium heat.
- Ice the cookies. I used a small spoon and my fingers to spread the icing onto the cookies. Then top with a lightly toasted walnut half and try not to eat them all in one go!
Grace
Chocolatey moreish cookies! I can't believe how good these are love them so much! Great for Christmas and the holidays!