These gluten free Afghan biscuits are everything we love about traditional Afghan biscuits. Eeasy to make, rich and chocolatey, studded with crunchy cornflakes and smothered in a thick layer of chocolate icing.
Heat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla until creamy and lighter in colour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then add in the egg and mix on low speed until combined.
Sift in the flour, xanthan gum and cocoa and mix slowly to combine. You can do this in two additions if you are using the mixer and don't want to make a mess.
Mix in the cornflakes until well distributed. Make sure you stir right down to the bottom of the bowl.
Place dollops of dough onto the prepared trays, leaving space for a little spreading. For large biscuits, use approx. 1/4c of dough for each one. You will get 12 biscuits. If you want smaller biscuits, use heaped tablespoonfuls of dough. You'll get around 18 biscuits.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of your biscuits. They should be just starting to darken at the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the trays, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
Once the biscuits have cooled, make the icing. Sift together the icing sugar and cocoa, then mix in the melted butter and a tablespoon of the water. Add the water a little at a time until the icing becomes a spreadable consistency. If you accidentally add too much water and the icing is too runny, add a bit more sifted icing sugar to thicken it. Spread onto the biscuits and allow them to set. Store the biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
*I use my favourite gluten-free flour blend to make these biscuits, but you can use your own favourite GF flour. It is correct that there is no baking powder or soda in this recipe, Afghans don't need it.**If you're using a pre-made gluten-free flour blend that contains a gum ingredient (usually listed as xanthan gum, guar gum or "thickener" in the ingredients on the packet) then you can omit the xanthan gum from this recipeFor extra shiny icing, you can add a tablespoon of corn syrup or liquid glucose when you add the water.
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