Afghan Biscuits Recipe
The Afghan biscuits are not biscuits from Afghanistan, as it might come to mind first. They belong to New Zealand cuisine. There are different guesses about where the name comes from. It is said that they may have taken this name as their texture resembles the soil structure of Afghanistan. Another claim is based on the fact that soldiers ate too much of these biscuits during the British-Afghan war. Even if the source of the name is not known exactly, the first written source is known; the Edmonds Cookery Book which is the main reference for New Zealanders in the kitchen. Another interesting information about Afghan biscuits is that the brand, which sells afghan biscuits under the name Afghans, changed the name of the cookie to Roughs after the Black Lives Matter actions in 2020. However, homemade Afghan biscuits are still known and made as Afghan biscuits.
This situation made me think about the subject. A while ago, I changed the recipe that I used to share as Arabian cookies (I didn't name them, of course) to egg yolk cookies. Since the first name given in that recipe was given because of the color of the cookies, I had no doubt that this was what needed to be done. But I'm not so sure about the Afghan biscuits. As it is said, if it is a name given because it was consumed so much during the Afghanistan war, to say that it is racist would be too much. Then I think it is necessary to change the names of many things such as Russian salad, Mongolian beef or Persian in Canadian cuisine. But if one day New Zealanders decide to change the name of the biscuit, I'd be happy to make that change as well.
Now let's go back to the biscuits. There are cornflakes, which we are not generally using in cookies, but appeared as an outer coating ingredient before in the crunchy cookies with cornflakes recipe. As you know, many varieties of cornflakes have emerged recently. Classic, plain cornflakes are used for both of these recipes. Since it is the most important ingredient of the biscuits, there is no alternative use or it's not possible to skip it.
Cornflakes gives the biscuits a crunchy and sticky consistency like praline. You can't get enough of its taste.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 100 g butter at room temperature,
- 1/4 cup sugar,
- 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder,
- 1 cup of flour,
- 1 cup plain cornflakes,
- Walnuts for topping.
For icing;
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar,
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder,
- 1 teaspoon of butter,
- 3 tablespoons of water at room temperature.
Preparation
- Mix butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a deep bowl,
- Add the flour little by little, checking the consistency, and knead,
- Add the cornflakes and knead,
- Take walnut-sized pieces from the mixture and roll them and flatten them by pressing lightly with your palm,
- Place them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees until they dry and crack (they will be soft when you remove them out of the oven, they will solidify when they cool),
- For icing, mix powdered sugar and cocoa powder,
- Add the butter and mix,
- Add water spoon by spoon and mix,
- Dip the cookies in the icing and place half a walnut on each of them.
Bon Appetit...