When I lived in New Zealand, longer ago than I care to admit, my flatmates told me about afghan biscuits, the chocolate-cornflake crunch cookies their mothers made for them. I told them about the afghan blankets my mother knit and crocheted for me. Strange uses of the word "afghan" in this world. I wonder what Afghans think.
New Zealand "biscuits" are quite different from Canadian-style cookies: crisp and crunch and fairly short. Afghans have the distinction of also being frosted. These are like not-too-sweet chocolate shortbread cookies with lots of cornflakes. They are frosted with a light-coloured cocoa icing, to more than make up for the not-too-sweetness.
These adapted very well to gluten-free flours, and I might try more New Zealand biscuit recipe adaptations in coming weeks.
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup potato or corn starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup cocoa
3 cups GF (malt-free) loosely packed cornflakes crushed slightly to make 2 cups
Preheat the oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Whisk together flours and starches, xanthan, and cocoa until well mixed. Beat into creamed mixture. Fold in cornflakes, or mix with your hands.
Take small handfuls of dough and squeeze into balls to make 30. Set the balls 2" apart on the prepared cookie trays. Cook for five minutes, then remove from oven and lightly press down the warm cookies to flatten them slightly. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, to set. Remove from oven and cool, first on the pan, then on racks when cool enough to move. Frost with a swoosh of chocolate icing.
Chocolate Icing: Sift 1 cup of GF icing sugar with 1 tbsp cocoa. Blend in 1 tbsp softened butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Add 1 tbsp milk (or more, a wee bit at a time) to make icing of a spreadable consistency.
Makes 30 frosted cookies.
