Miss Kitty Bakes: Afghans cookies

The other day I was going through my cupboard and found a box of cornflakes perilously close to their use by date. I can't remember purchasing them, and as I don't eat cereal, I can only imagine they were purchased for some kind of baking activity. Georgie and I have really been getting our bake on recently. Well, Georgie has been stirring and I have been wiping a lot of flour, cocoa and sugar off the floor...

So when I found the cornflakes, I thought that there was really only one appropriate use for them - afghans! If you haven't ever come across these little morsels of Kiwi goodness, you are in for a treat. They are fudgey and chocolately with a decided crunch from the cornflakes. The recipe for these afghans comes from Ladies, a Plate, by Alexa Johnson, an old style New Zealand baking cookbook filled to the brim with fabulous and easy recipes. Many are toddler friendly (lots of stirring, crumbling, pressing) and all are delicious. If you don't have it I heartily recommend adding it to your collection.

Afghans
Makes 20-25 medium sized cookies

Ingredients

For the Biscuits

170 g butter

100 g brown sugar

180 g flour

3 tbsp cocoa

½ tsp baking powder

60 g cornflakes

For the Icing

3 tbsp water

45 g caster sugar

45 g butter

190 g icing sugar

3 tbsp cocoa

24–30 walnut halves

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper, or grease them lightly with butter. Break up the cornflakes with your hands and soften the butter.

Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the sifted dry ingredients, then knead in the cornflakes. Put in teaspoonfuls on the trays, leaving a little space around each biscuit. Flatten them slightly with a fork and bake for 12–14 minutes. Cool on a rack.

To make the icing, gently heat the water, caster sugar and butter until the butter melts and simmer for one minute to form a syrup. Beating all the time, pour about ¾ of the syrup onto the sifted icing sugar and cocoa. Add the remaining syrup if necessary to make a smooth, fudgy icing. Add a little hot water if it's still too thick.

Put a teaspoonful of warm icing on each biscuit, plant a walnut half on the top of each, sinking it into the icing, and leave to set firmly. Store in an airtight tin. They'll stay fresh for 3–4 days.