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Anzac biscuits
Egg-free golden syrup, oat and coconut biscuits baked across Australia and New Zealand for Anzac Day, 25 April
Anzac biscuits are baked in kitchens all over Australia and New Zealand in the days before 25 April, Anzac Day, when both countries remember the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who landed at Gallipoli in 1915. Recipes appeared in fundraising cookbooks soon after the war, and they keep well because they contain no eggs: just oats, flour, coconut, sugar, butter and golden syrup, raised with bicarbonate of soda. Bake them short for chewy, longer for crunchy; every family has its side. Chef's tip: add the bicarbonate to the hot butter and syrup and wait for it to foam up before mixing; that froth is what makes them light and lacy.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
- 3 ⅛ oz rolled oats
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 2 ⅞ oz desiccated coconut
- 5 ½ oz brown sugar
- 4 ½ oz butter
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbsp boiling water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Step 2: Mix 3 ⅛ oz rolled oats, 5 ½ oz plain flour, 2 ⅞ oz desiccated coconut and 5 ½ oz brown sugar in a large bowl.
2 minStep 3: Melt 4 ½ oz butter and 2 tbsp golden syrup together in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring, until smooth.
3 minStep 4: Mix ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda with 2 tbsp boiling water, then pour it into the hot butter. It will foam up pale and frothy. Pour straight into the dry ingredients and stir until evenly moistened.
1 minStep 5: Roll level tablespoons of the mixture into balls and set them on the trays 5 cm apart, as they spread. Flatten each a little with your fingers.
5 minStep 6: Bake for 12–15 minutes: 12 for chewy biscuits that are golden at the edges and still soft in the middle, 15 for crunchy ones that are evenly deep golden. A common mistake is waiting until they feel firm in the oven: they harden as they cool, so they'll be overbaked.
14 minStep 7: Cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then on a rack. They keep in an airtight tin for 2 weeks.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does anzac biscuits take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of rolled oats?
- Quick oats, same amount.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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