Anzac Biscuits, also known as Anzac Cookies, are crispy on the outside, and deliciously chewy in the middle. They have a strong caramel-like flavour with hints of coconut and healthy oats in every bite.
About Anzac Biscuits:
These crispy and chewy biscuits are native to Australia. Their origins are traced back to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War 1. Legend has it that wives and women's groups would send the Anzac Biscuits to the soldiers on the front line. In reality, the Anzac Biscuits, known as "Soldier's Biscuits" were sold at public events such as parades to raise money in support of the war effort.
Anzac Day is a day of remembrance observed in Australia and New Zealand on April 25. It falls on the anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landing at Gallipoli, in Turkey. Anzac Day was originally observed to honour the soldiers who died in that conflict. Now, however, it commemorates and honors all Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women, past and present, who have served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.
Ingredients for Anzac biscuits:
I used the following ingredients for these delicious biscuits: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, old-fashioned oats, toasted coconut, salt, unsalted butter, Golden syrup, baking soda, and water. If you can't find Golden syrup, you can use dark Karo syrup in its place.
Making the Biscuit Dough:
First, I combined the flour, sugar, oats, coconut and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then, melted the butter and syrup in a microwave safe bowl. After that, I mixed the baking soda with boiling water. I added the melted butter/syrup to the baking soda mixture, and stirred to combine everything. Then, I poured the butter mixture over the dry ingredients.
Using a wooden spoon, I thoroughly combined all of the ingredients. That's it - the Anzac Biscuit dough was ready. How simple is that?
Finishing the Anzac Biscuits:
Once the Anzac Biscuit dough was ready, I scooped it onto a parchment lined baking sheet using a 2-teaspoon ice cream scoop. I left plenty of room for the biscuits to spread during cooking. To ensure evenly formed biscuits, I rolled the dough into balls.
Then, I popped the biscuits into a preheated 350° F oven for 8 or 9 minutes until they were a deep mahogany brown. I removed the pan from the oven, and let the biscuits cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
I ended up with four-dozen Anzac Biscuits that were crunchy crisp around the edges, and deliciously chewy in the center. Each bite had a caramel-like flavor with hints of toasted coconut and healthy oats. Yum!
If you're interested in other international treats, check these awesome recipes.
- English Digestive Biscuits
- Dutch Poffertjes
- Traditional Austrian Linzer Cookies
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- French Macarons
- Classic Italian Pizzelles
Recipe
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Anzac Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup (4.25 ounces, 120 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (3.5 ounces, 99 grams) old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup (5.25 ounces, 149 grams) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (2.25 ounces, 64 grams) sweetened shredded coconut lightly toasted (See Note 1)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces, 43 grams) Golden syrup (See Note 2)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, 28 grams) boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Combine flour, oats, sugar, coconut, and salt in a large bowl.
- Place the butter and syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with paper towel, and microwave on high until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbling, about 1 minute and 30 seconds.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the baking soda and boiling water. Stir in the hot butter/syrup mixture.
- Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Using a 2-teaspoon ice cream scoop, drop dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave at least 2-inches between them because they spread quite a bit.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are a deep mahogany brown. (See Note 3)
- Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Yield: 4 dozen Anzac Biscuits
Tips/Notes
- Note 1: To toast coconut, spread in a single layer on foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes in preheated 325° F oven. Cool completely.
- Note 2: If you are unable to find Golden syrup, you can use dark Karo syrup in its place.
- Note 3: After 8 minutes, watch the cookies carefully to ensure that they do not burn. You want them to be a dark mahogany brown. They should be crispy, crunchy dark brown, not chewy light brown.
Wenz says
Anzac biscuits are always a treat, as they were for our soldiers. Glad you shared your recipe.
They did used to be posted overseas during conflicts, as the War Memorial in Australia mentions, not just sold to raise money.
Janet says
Could real maple syrup be used in place of Karo syrup?
Chula King says
Hi Janet,
Because of the relatively small quantity of syrup, you could use maple syrup in place of the Karo syrup. However, the taste could be somewhat impacted depending on how strong the maple syrup is.
Chula