Anzac Biscuits
Introduction
Whether you like them thin and lacy and snappily crisp, or thicker and slightly chewy, this is the recipe!
Serves: Makes 30-40, depending on the size
Ingredients
1 cup standard flour
¾ cup caster sugar (superfine granulated)
1 cup desiccated or shredded coconut (coarsely shredded coconut is great for texture)
1 cup rolled oats
125g (4½ oz) butter
2 Tbsp Golden Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp boiling water
Method
1 Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Line two baking trays (sheets) with baking (parchment) paper
2 Mix flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats in a bowl.
3 Melt butter and Golden Syrup together in a bowl in a microwave or in a small pan. Mix baking soda with boiling water in a cup until soda is dissolved, then add to melted butter and syrup. Stir into dry ingredients and mix well.
4 Scoop up a teaspoonful of the mixture at a time, gently squeeze and roll into small balls. Place on the prepared trays as they are done – about 9 to a tray (allow room for biscuits to spread) – and press flat with the tines of a fork. For thinner biscuits (crisper and not so chewy) press biscuits flat with the palm of the hand).
5 Bake for about 12 minutes. Leave biscuits on the tray until firm, then transfer to to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Coconut thread will give the biscuits more crunch than desiccated coconut. If your mixture is too dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of hot water and mix it in (and another one, if needed). The mixture should be moist but it should hold its shape. Cook biscuits on a cold baking sheet / tray to help stop them oiling, and allow plenty of room on the tray for the biscuits to spread. It’s crucial to watch the temperature when baking these biscuits because the high proportion of golden syrup and coconut can see them darken in the bat of an eye. Aim for golden biscuits, not deep golden, because they will continue cooking for a few minutes once removed from the oven. Cool biscuits on a cake rack then transfer to an airtight container.
ANZAC biscuits take their name from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. They contain plenty of butter and sweetener (golden syrup, made from cane sugar) and it is these ingredients which make them crisp and help them keep – that’s if you can resist eating them! The story goes that they were made in home kitchens by wives, mothers and women’s groups and sent off to husbands and sons during WW1, but this is most likely just a fanciful story! However, as biscuits go, they do keep well, that’s if you can keep your hands off them.
