0057 - Traditionally Kiwi; Afghan Biscuits

Don't ask me why a traditional Kiwi biscuit has such a politcally sensitive name.

No one seems to be able to come up with any reason.

The first time Matt tried to bake these biscuits, it was a roaring failure. I am not kidding. He was so disheartened by the failure that it took him a month before he tried to impress me with his baking skills again.

So he had another go on it, on this recent Sunday. Needless to say, nothing like a failure to spur you to do better than before :) Now that it is a roaring success, he planned on baking more off them. Of course he will. Since Aidilfitri is nearing, AND, I am adamant on filling the house with cookies, biscuits, chocolates and cakes even though there's no one coming over to feed on them. It is my (meek) personal attempt to make it more festive, and Matt's attempt to "celebrate" the festivity with me. Having said that, this traditional Kiwi biscuit is going down into my books of traditional biscuit which will be a must for future & every Aidilfitri.

Afterall, if Matt & myself are going to share our lives together, food will definitely have to be taken into account.



At the request of Zakiah, and my personal urgent reasons, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
Biscuits
200gm butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups plain Kellogs cornflakes, crushed

Chocolate Icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp water
Pecans, optional
*this can be substituted to your preference

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
   
2. Lightly grease your baking tray and line the bottom with baking paper.

Method:
Biscuits

1. Cream the butter & sugar until light & fluffy.
2. Sift flour & cocoa separately.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.
4. Fold in the cornflakes.
5. Spoon mounds of mixture onto tray.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until biscuits are browned & firm to the touch.
7. Remove from oven & cool it on the wire rack .
   

Icing

1. Combine the icing sugar well with the cocoa powder.
2. Add water & mix well until the mixture is free of lumps and of a creamy consistency.
3. Spoon a little icing on the cooled biscuits & decorate with Pecans.

You can choose to exercise your tastebud in the sinful indulgent immediately, OR, leave the whole biscuit to cool at room temperature before placing them in an airtight container. We left the container in the fridge and prefer eating it cold instead. However, we do notice that when we leave it at room temperature, the biscuit becomes a little bit more chewy, and according to Matt,

"Mmmm... yum."

0056 - Grilled Beef w/ Vegetables

What happens when this Kiwi fella conquers the kitchen?
What happens when this Kiwi feels the need for variety in his dishes?



From 0042 Grilled Beef with Potato & Bak-Choy (served with Chili Vinegrette Sauce) to 0049 Grilled Beef with Potato & Orange, now you have Grilled Beef w/ Vegetables. And by vegetables, it's Potatoes, Mushrooms & Zuchinis :)



Oh... I always love that Chili Vinegrette Sauce combi.

0055 - Marshmallow Brownie

From this:


To this:


It wasn't a roaring success, but it wasn't a failure either. But it certainly didn't whet my appetite enough as I might have gone overboard with the marshmallows. Next test-drive, it'll be better, and I'll let you in on it :)