Anzac Biscuits are a traditional Australian sweet treat that I enjoyed on my recent travels there.
The story goes that they became popular with Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers in the First World War, since when they have been adopted as one of the nation’s most popular foods.
Picking up a genuine recipe (from the Aussie supermarket chain, Coles) before I left, I made a batch of the oaty, coconutty, slightly chewy delights this week, as shown in my photo above. I am very pleased with how they turned out, so I’m sharing the recipe here.
Servings
This will make 24 biscuits.
Timings
15 mins to prepare, and 20 mins in the oven at 180C.
You Will Need
- 150g plain flour
- 80g desiccated coconut
- 90g rolled oats
- 110g caster sugar
- 55g brown sugar
- 125g butter
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp boiling water
- 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
Method
- Switch the oven on to 180C. Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.
- Put the flour, coconut, oats and sugars in a bowl, and stir to mix.
- Place the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the butter is melted, then leave to cool.
- Combine water and bicarb in a bowl, then add to the flour/oats, along with the butter mixture. Stir to combine.
- Pick off 1 tbsp-sized portions of the biscuit mixture and roll into a ball between the palms. Place on the baking trays, equally spaced so that they have room to spread out as they melt. Flatten the tops slightly with your hand.
- Place in the oven for 15 mins or until baked to your liking.
- Once baked, let cool on the baking tray for a few moments, before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Customise it!
If you like your biscuits particularly chewy, try reducing the brown sugar and replacing it with caster sugar. To make them crunchier, step down the caster sugar and increase the brown sugar.
From classic Australian baking to classic Australian punk. Here are Brisbane’s The Saints from back in the day, with (I’m) Stranded.