ANZAC Biscuits are one of my favourite treats EVER, but will be most likely entirely unknown to anyone outside of Australia or New Zealand.
My mother would make ANZAC Biscuits for Australia Day (January 26th) and ANZAC Day every year (April 25th), and my brother and I would devour them right out of the oven within minutes!
Even the smell while baking these brings me right back to childhood.
What Are ANZAC Biscuits?
Quick history lesson: ‘ANZAC’ stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Created during World War I, ANZAC biscuits were initially designed so they would not spoil during the lengthy transit to the men fighting in the war – but we still regularly enjoy them on Australian holidays (or all year round!) back home. These contain no egg, as eggs were scarce at the time.
Should ANZAC Biscuits be Crunchy or Chewy?
It’s often debated whether these biscuits should be chewy or crunchy. I personally love to underbake mine, to take full advantage of the naturally-chewy oats and coconut. If crispy cookies are more your thing, feel free to bake them longer to achieve that crisp.
ANZAC “Biscuits” or ANZAC “Cookies”?
Educational moment: a biscuit to anyone outside America is virtually interchangeable with the word ‘cookie’. A biscuit to Aussies or Brits typically means something a little firmer than a cookie, but we use the words interchangeably. If you’re reading this, and you’re American, and I’m confusing you … these are basically like a cookie, and nothing like a southern flaky, buttery biscuit you normally associate with the word. I hope that clarifies it somewhat!
Ingredient Tips
- Oats. I really recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats here, and avoid using quick-cooking or instant oats, as they just won’t be as chewy. Steel-cut oats won’t work here.
- Coconut. Be sure to use unsweetened flaked coconut. Use freshly purchased coconut, for the most moist and chewy cookies. Sweetened coconut works too, but your cookies will be a little sweeter if you use that.
- Butter. You can use butter or margarine here. This is the only time I’ll allow you to use margarine lol. It will encourage more spread and give you a more traditional texture – but I have made them many times with butter (since I always have butter on hand and never buy margarine!) and it works just fine.
- The Golden Syrup. Do not substitute the golden syrup for anything else – it MAKES the biscuit! It provides its own special, unique flavor AND texture. You can find it on Amazon here, or in the international aisle in most good supermarkets.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
ANZAC Biscuits
Ingredients
- 100 grams old-fashioned rolled oats
- 130 grams all-purpose flour
- 200 grams white sugar
- 40 grams coconut*
- 113 grams (1 stick) butter or margarine
- 40 millilitres (2 Australian Tablespoons) golden syrup**
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 20 millilitres (1 Australian Tablespoon) boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F / 150°C. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar and coconut. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, over a low heat, melt the butter/margarine and golden syrup until completely melted and combined. You can also do this in a medium bowl in the microwave, heating 20 seconds at a time, and stirring in between each interval. Set aside briefly.
- In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and boiling water and mix well. Add to the butter/golden syrup mixture.
- Using a rubber spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to combine, being sure to fully incorporate everything.
- Using a small cookie scoop (1-Tablespoon-size), scoop your dough and place on the prepared baking sheets. Leave plenty of room to allow for spreading.
- Bake one tray at a time as follows:Chewy biscuits: 12 – 15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden, rotating the baking tray halfway through.Crips biscuits: 18 – 20 minutes, or until golden, rotating the baking tray halfway through.
- Cool at least 20 minutes on the baking trays (if you can wait that long!). Serve.
