Ingredients
Dry
- 100 grolled oats, not instant
- 150 gplain flour
- 85 gdesiccated coconut
- 150 gcaster sugar or firmly packed brown sugar
Wet
- 125 gbutter
- 2 tbspgolden syrup, about 60 g
- 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbspboiling water
Directions
- Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F) fan and line two trays with baking paper; a low oven is essential, because these biscuits are largely sugar and will burn at a normal baking temperature.
- Stir the oats, flour, coconut and sugar together in a large bowl, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingers.
- Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth and just combined, then take it off the heat before it starts to bubble.
- Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water and pour it into the butter mixture; it will foam up dramatically, which is the point, since the aeration is what stops the biscuit becoming a solid slab.
- Pour the foaming liquid into the dry ingredients and mix quickly with a wooden spoon until every oat is coated and the mixture holds together when squeezed.
- Roll heaped tablespoons into balls, space them well apart on the trays because they spread a lot, and flatten each one lightly with the back of a fork.
- Bake for 12 minutes for a chewy biscuit or 15 to 18 minutes for a crisp one, until they are golden brown and the edges look set while the centres still look slightly soft.
- Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes to firm up, then move to a wire rack; they harden considerably as they cool, so judge doneness in the oven by colour, not by feel.
Technique
- There are no eggs, and that is historical rather than incidental: the biscuits were sent to soldiers by sea and had to survive months without spoiling, which the eggless, high-sugar, golden-syrup formula allows.
- Chewy or crisp is decided by three things: brown sugar and a shorter bake give chewy, caster sugar and a longer bake give crisp. Australians hold strong views on which is correct.
- The name is protected in Australia and New Zealand. They must be called biscuits, not cookies, and the recipe must not be materially altered if the name is used commercially.
- Golden syrup is not interchangeable with honey or maple syrup here; its particular invert-sugar chemistry is what gives the caramel flavour and the spread.
Substitutions
- No golden syrup: light treacle or a dark corn syrup with a teaspoon of black treacle stirred in is the closest match; honey changes the flavour noticeably and browns faster.
- Gluten-free flour blends work well because the oats and coconut carry the structure, though use certified gluten-free oats.
Variations
- The New Zealand version is often thinner and crisper and sometimes leaves out the coconut.
- A modern Australian bakery version adds 100 g of dark chocolate chunks, which is not traditional.
- Anzac slice presses the same mixture into a tin and bakes it for 25 minutes, cut into squares.
History
Eggless oat biscuits that survived sea voyages to troops; Australian regulations still restrict commercial use of the protected word Anzac.
Frequently asked questions
What is Anzac Biscuits?
Anzac Biscuits is a snack from Australia: chewy oat, golden-syrup and coconut biscuits commemorating WWI soldiers. Eggless oat biscuits that survived sea voyages to troops; Australian regulations still restrict commercial use of the protected word Anzac.
How long does Anzac Biscuits take to make?
Anzac Biscuits takes 15 min of preparation and 18 min of cooking. The recipe makes 24 biscuits. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Anzac Biscuits?
Yes, within limits. No golden syrup: light treacle or a dark corn syrup with a teaspoon of black treacle stirred in is the closest match; honey changes the flavour noticeably and browns faster. Gluten-free flour blends work well because the oats and coconut carry the structure, though use certified gluten-free oats.
What is the most important thing to get right in Anzac Biscuits?
Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water and pour it into the butter mixture; it will foam up dramatically, which is the point, since the aeration is what stops the biscuit becoming a solid slab.
