ANZAC Biscuits

Yesterday's post on ANZAC Day made me think about ANZAC biscuits. In Australia, cookies are called biscuits. They are my husband's favorite. My Mum made the best ANZACs ever! They were huge, flat and chewy. No matter what I do, since living in the USA, I haven't been able to get my ANZACs to bake to the consistency I like. But, I keep on trying!!

Here is a bit of background on my favorite bickie.

(Aussie slang for biscuit).

ANZAC biscuits are most certainly the national biscuit of Australia. The heritage of ANZAC biscuits date back to the First World War, where on the 25th of April 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli. ANZAC biscuits (or Soldier’s Biscuits as they were originally known) were sent by women back in Australia who were concerned about the nutritional value of the food being supplied to their men by the army. The ingredients for ANZAC biscuits were originally rolled oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle, bi-carbonate of soda and boiling water.
ANZAC Biscuits now are still as popular as ever and around ANZAC Day, ANZAC biscuits are also often used by veterans’ organisations to raise funds for the care and welfare of aged war veterans. The original ANZAC Biscuits recipe pairs perfectly with Australian wattle seed, by offering hazelnut and chocolate flavours to the traditional Anzac biscuits.

And here is how to make them!

Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats (regular oatmeal) uncooked
1 cup desiccated coconut 1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp boiling water
Method
Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
Melt the butter and Golden Syrup in a saucepan over a low heat..
Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and Golden Syrup.
Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Spoon dollops of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased cookie sheet, leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading.
Bake in a moderate oven, 180C / 350F, for 15-20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers.

Tips
The American tablespoon is a little smaller than the British tablespoon, so be generous with your Golden Syrup and Water.

I find Golden Syrup at the local supermarket here in Tampa - Sweet Bay Supermarket - in the British section. If you are really desperate and can't find any, honey would probably work, different taste though.

If you have any thoughts of keeping the biscuits for any length of time, I suggest you keep them in a padlocked container!

Enjoy!!

Sally-Ann