Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees, fan bake. Line two flat trays with baking paper. Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), huka hāura (brown sugar), marahihi (molasses) or mīere teiti (date syrup), wanira (vanilla), tote (salt), rau kikini whakauruuru (mixed spice), hinamona (cinnamon) and tinitia (ginger) in to a large bowl.
Using a stand mixer or hand beaters, whip for 2-3 minutes on high until light and fluffy.
Add the puehu parāoa (flour), pēkana paura (baking powder) and pēkana houra (baking soda). Whakaranuhia mix - to combine.
Add the rare (candy) to a mortar and pestle or a chopping board. Crush them gently and seperate the chunks of karamea (caramel) so that it distributes evenly in to the pihikete.
Tapapahia te tiakarete - chop up the chocolate, keep it chunky. Add it to the mixture along with the crushed candy. Mix it all together.
If your mixture is a bit too sticky to roll at this point, leave it on the bench or the fridge for 10 minutes to thicken up.
Divide the ranunga (mixture) in to 24 balls and add 12 on to each tray. Gently press each pihikete (biscuit) down with the palm of your hand so they are around 2 cm high. Bake each tray separately 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven, if any of the caramel from the candy has oozed out of the biscuit, just use a knife to stick it back on the pihikete (biscuits). If they are bit of an odd shape, scoot them with a round cookie cutter that is bigger than the cookies. Place the cutter around the hot cookie (straight from the oven), using a circular motion manipulate the cookies until they are round. The cookies need to be hot for this to work. Kaingia ngā pihikete mahana - eat the warm cookies!