I can see a lot of slightly puzzled looks out there from people over the title of this, so I’ll set this straight right from the start

I’m not talking about any of these.

I’m talking about Afghan biscuits - no, not the US interpretation of biscuits - cookies. Afghan cookies which do not come from Afghanistan, but from New Zealand. The origins of the name are lost to time, although this recipe has appeared in the Edmonds Cookbook for many years.

Now that we have that cleared up, how about a recipe for a melt in the mouth chocolate cookie which has a nice crunch to it?

These were my favourite biscuits as a child; when I opened my lunch box and saw one I was always really pleased. There was one downside to Afghans, at least from a child’s perspective. There was the small matter of having a walnut on top which I had to dispose of without anyone seeing.

My mother eventually gave up putting walnuts on the top because I would come along and take a biscuit and remove the walnut or chew it and spit it out. Of course now I like walnuts but in homage to my childhood I put a different topping on them for all the walnut hating children out there.

These biscuits are a national favourite, they’re in bakeries, cafes, children’s lunch boxes and seen at school fêtes all over the place, usually with a walnut on top. These are great everyday baking. Don’t let the simplicity of the recipe fool you, these are fantastic biscuits. Things do not have to be complex to be just plain good. I have not changed the recipe at all, it’s perfect as it is.

Afghan Biscuits

Makes 30 - from the Edmonds Cookbook

• 200 grams/7 oz of butter
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 1/4 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup of cocoa
• 2 cups of cornflakes

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour and cocoa and stir into the butter and sugar mixture. Fold in cornflakes.

NB: I have never been able to fold these in, the mixture is not folding consistency - a better description might be mix in as gently as you can without breaking the cornflakes into tiny crumbs.

Spoon large teaspoonfuls on to a parchment lined or greased tray. Bake at  180C/350F for 15 minutes or until set.

In my oven they do not take as long as 15 minutes. Keep a very close eye on them after 11 minutes, don’t let them get dark around the edges.

When cold ice/frost with a simple chocolate icing made with icing sugar, butter, cocoa, vanilla and hot water. Ganache would tend to make these soft, if you’re eating these on the same day Ganache would be fine. The confectioners sugar icing also makes them lunch box suitable - it’s a little more robust than a buttercream or ganache. Royal icing would be fine too.

Top with a walnut if you want to go with the traditional version or if you have walnut haters around, alternatives work well too.  I used these cute little strawberry millions to top them.

I’ve had Afghans with the addition of chopped dried apricots, walnuts and raisins but honestly I think they are best left as they were intended to be. A simple everyday biscuit to be discovered wrapped in waxed paper in your lunch box or to munch on with a hot drink at the end of the day. Cookie comfort food at it’s best.

I can just see all you lovely American people sitting there thinking ” what on earth is  Hokey Pokey?” Hokey Pokey is also called honeycomb candy in the US. These little cookies have the same flavour. Hokey Pokey is also an icecream flavour here in NZ. One of my favourites in fact. In the UK, Crunchie Bars and Violet Crumble have the same flavour as these cookies.They are not the most fancy pants cookie out there, but there is something very more-ish about them, they are very crisp and have a warm flavour.

These were always one of my favourites as a child growing up. I could smell them cooking and I knew I would find one of them tucked into my lunch box the next day. This is the first time I’ve made these for a very long time. I was flicking through my trusty Edmonds Cookbook and spotted the recipe for them. The Edmonds Cookbook is almost a standard addition to the cookbook collection in every home in NZ. It was first published in 1908, so it’s over 100 years old! Recipes have been updated, removed and added during that time. But the old favourites remain. This is one of them.

Hokey Pokey Cookies

• 125 grams of butter
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 Tblspn of golden syrup
• 1 Tblspn of milk
• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
• 1 tspn of baking soda

Combine the butter, golden syrup, sugar and milk in a saucepan. Melt all of them together until they are almost boiling. Stir the whole time. Be careful here with the heat, or the mixture will stick to the pan.

Remove from the heat and let it cool a little.

Add in the sifted flour and baking soda and stir well to make the cookie dough. Roll into walnut sized balls, place on baking parchment and flatten with the bottom of a glass.

Bake at 180C/350F for roughly 15 minutes. My oven takes a little less than this. Anything with golden syrup will burn quickly, so keep a little eye on the cookies, and when they are an even golden brown in colour remove from the oven.

Cool on a rack. Makes roughly 2 dozen.

Great to pop into a lunch box or have with a hot drink.

I can’t take the credit for the golden tower of Anzac biscuits below, but they were made in my kitchen, if that counts? Leah, my oldest daughter whipped up this batch for the lunches this week.

The recipe for Anzac Biscuits is one that Australians and New Zealanders argue over, both claiming its invention, and people have a definite preference for either the slender and crunchy version or thick, soft and chewy.

The story goes that during WWI, the mothers and wives of the soldiers were concerned that their lads were not getting the nutrition they needed, and a group of women came up with a recipe based around rolled oats. Eggs were scarce since many of the poultry farmers were off at war and the biscuits would not store as well with them included, so they were omitted from the recipe. Originally called Soldiers Biscuits, they were renamed Anzac Biscuits after the landing at Gallipoli.

These are a great cookie to have in the cupboard, they keep well and they are wonderful with a cup of tea or coffee. They are still made today and a firm household favourite in New Zealand and Australia.

I have several recipes for Anzac biscuits, this one below is my current favourite, and comes from The Great New Zealand Baking Book - by Allyson Gofton

Anzac Biscuits

• 1 cup of flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 125 grams butter
• 1 Tblspn golden syrup
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• 1 tspn baking soda
• 2 Tblspn boiling water

Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and the rolled oats

Melt the butter, golden syrup and vanilla together. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and mix into the flour with the melted butter, mixing until they are all combined.

Roll spoons of the mixture into balls and place on a baking sheet

Bake at 180C for about 10-12 minutes until the biscuits have flattened and become a reddish brown - they can burn quite quickly, so keep a close eye on them.

Transfer to a cooling rack, the biscuits will crisp as they cool.