When is a Cookie a biscuit? When you live in Australia, of course.
On April 25 each year, Anzac Day, the nation stops to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of a group of soldiers that have contributed to the development of our national psyche. We don’t have many traditions of our own so we have adopted this to be a signifier that we are Australian. And the Anzac tradition has even spawned a biscuit or cookie! How Australian!
Today, there won’t be any dawn Anzac services attended by the many descendants of those soldiers, so it is likely that we might all be baking these biscuits at home, remembering the soldiers.
The ANZAC Biscuit
During WWI, a certain type of biscuit/cookie was sent by mail, in sealed tins, to the troops fighting in the filthy trenches at Lone Pine and Anzac Cove in Turkey. They were sent all the way from Australia, from the mothers and sweethearts of those brave, young men who were to fight Britain’s war against Turkey.
It was thought this biscuit would keep well in transit for an extended period of time. As such they are regarded as quintessentially Australian and our tradition of making Anzac biscuits on April 25, has continued for the past 9 years. Almost as old as this blog itself!
Below you will find the recipe.
Anzac Biscuit Recipe
I have posted two versions here. The first recipe is mine and the second, the trusty Women’s Weekly magazine version. Please post what temperature worked for you, if you do try the recipe…
Preheat Oven 170 – 180 C or 350 F
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup – you can use honey or maple syrup as an alternative
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 160 g or (⅔ cup) butter, melted
Method
1. Sift flour and ginger into a mixing bowl and add coconuts, oats and sugar. Mix and make a well in the centre ready for the addition of the wet ingredients.
2. Stir in Golden syrup, boiling water and bicarb soda, in a small bowl, until combined.
3. Add the syrup mix into the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter. Mix well.
4. Take heaped teaspoons of mix and roll into small balls.
5. Place on trays and flatten gently.
6. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown
7. Cool on tray 10 minutes until they firm up slightly.
Wanting to try the ever faithful Woman’s Weekly recipes, last year I cooked up a second batch. These ones aren’t so crisp, but if you like the flavour of brown sugar, they are worth a ‘go.’
Woman’s Weekly Anzacs
Preheat oven 160 -175 C or 350 F
Ingredients
- 125 g (I cup) butter chopped coarsely
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup Rolled Oats
Method
- Melt butter and golden syrup over low heat.
- Add bicarb and water to butter mix.
- Mix remaining dry ingredients and combine wet and dry.
- Spoon teaspoons of mix on to lined baking sheet, and flatten slightly.
- Cook 12 – 15 minutes. Cool on tray 5 – 10 minutes.
Now you can also try these biscuits, and tell me what you think. I will ponder whether they will become a tradition in your house.
These look delicious! And I’m curious, did they keep for the soldiers? I love learning new things like this! Thank you so much for sharing!
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Yes, they did! At least that is what I have been told. I doubt the usual biscuits/cookies would have.
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These sound amazing. I need to make them gluten free.
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These sound good. I’m going to try some. I like my cookies crisp so I’ll try your recipe. I grew up in a British colony, so cookies were always biscuits to me. But now, after 40 years in Canada, cookies are cookies and biscuits are scone type things. I remember reading about ANZAC biscuits and thinking “Hmm, I’d like to taste those.”
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I hope you do try making them, Sandy. They are one of those foods that grows on you as time goes on. Pair it with a nice cuppa!!
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I used not enjoy Anzac bikkies, until I had some of those made by my friend Sarah, who got her recipe from The Age. They are yummy in the EXTREME !! I may be a convert to Anzacs now ! 🙂
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Have to posted that recipe, M-R? Or can top link to Sarah?
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I’ll look for it ..
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Great! I am readying the oven now.
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https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/anzac-biscuits-20130424-2ieie
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Cool, thanks my dear!
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Sarah’s were (I have eaten them all) delicious. See yours are no less so !!! 😉
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I hope so!
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The ingredients are the same, just a little more of each one except I add a little ground ginger to my recipe. I actually like the WW version with brown sugar. Sarah’s would be more like mine, as it uses white/caster sugar.
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There’s a local bakery here that does a good line in Anzac biscuits and they’re rightly popular. I’ll try your recipe once I’ve got my head round translating from ‘cups’ which I find really hard!
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Just google it. The Australian cup should be equivalent to the English cups. Does this help:
https://www.newideafood.com.au/grams-to-cups
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I never know how tightly to pack the cups,so this is a big help – thanks. Except I now notice that American and Australian cups are different. Aaagh.
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Follow the Australian, if you are making Anzacs.
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Of course!
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Australian cups are DIFFERENT from American cups?! I did not know that. I thought all cup measures were standard. Maybe thats why my cup to gram conversion for flour never match. Thats why I prefer recipes in grams myself.
Btw I baked your recipe and the cookies were delicious. I might do a quick post tomorrow and show you how they turned out. Stay tuned!
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Oh really, Sandy! I am so pleased that the Anzacs turned out. Can’t wait to see the post. Which recipe did you use and what did you use as substitute for Golden Syrup?
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I used your recipe with cinnamon instead of ginger and corn syrup instead of Golden syrup. As you guessed, golden syrup is not common here. I think that’s why I’ve never tried making these cookies before. I have a feeling that the syrup is the magic ingredient in making these cookies come together 🙂
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Is corn syrup sweet? Golden syrup is very sweet and very sticky. I wonder if Maple syrup would work too? I like the suggestion of using cinnamon. Well I love anything with cinnamon. I will go and check out your post.
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Corn syrup is very sweet and is about the same consistency as honey, maybe a bit thicker. Unlike honey & maple syrup, corn syrup doesn’t have its own flavor profile. It’s just sweet. Maple syrup is much more liquidy than corn syrup. That might affect the cookie dough, probably for the better I’d say, when its uncooked. It might hold together better when molding. But I don’t know how it’ll change when it bakes. You can let me know if you try it.
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I will let you know if I try maple syrup. I think it might make the mix fall apart more – we would have to reduce the amount to 1 tablespoon perhaps.
Corn syrup sounds like an interesting product. I will keep an eye out for it here. What is it generally used for? Just baking?
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Corn syrup is used in candy making and pie fillings like pecan pie. It prevents crystallization and stabilizes sugars. I had a bottle lying around because I used to make peanut brittle in the microwave. That’s a nice recipe if you ever want to try it … and can find some corn syrup. I can’t find my original recipe but this one looks close enough https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/microwave-nut-brittle-recipe
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Thanks! I will save that link. I used to make that sort of thing years ago when the kids were at school for fund raising.
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What a nice tradition. I forwarded this to my ever-loving baking wife. Knowing her, she’ll give a shot. 🙂 – Marty
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I do hope she will make them. You could substitute maple syrup or treacle if you cannot access Golden Syrup. One blogger used corn syrup and they worked out fine.
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similar to what we would call crunchies. Have you ever added raisins or chopped up dates..
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No, Lisa, I have not added raisings or chopped up dates, as then they would not be ANZACS. It would almost be considered sacriligious to do that here.
I do have a very similar recipe however, that includes raisins – My Grandma used to make them and called them Raisin Spiders – as they were all spiky and craggy – not round and flat like the ANZACS. Have you posted your recipe? It would be fun to compare.
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hahahaha yes don’t spoil the ANZAC.. I’m terrible i add and take away from every recipe..
4 oz (110 g) dried ready-to-eat apricots, snipped
4 oz (110 g) chopped dates/ walnuts
5.5 oz (160 g) butter
3 oz (75 g) demerara sugar
1 dessertspoon golden syrup or runny honey
4 oz (110 g) self-raising flour
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt
4 oz (110 g) porridge oats
4 oz (110 g) coconut
I add chopped ginger confit and 1 egg sometimes..
I back it all together and then slice it into biscuits.. 😉
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That sounds like a great variation. I love the addition of apricots. It could be a muesli slice.
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