Is there anything more Australian than a cup of tea and a home-baked ANZAC biccie?
Sent by wives to soldiers abroad because they’d last the distance and not spoil easily, these oaty biscuits were a little taste of home. Today, they’re found waning on the supermarket shelves, playing second fiddle to the Tims and the Tams of the world, sitting somewhere between your Milk Arrowroot and your Iced VoVo, which this weekend, is where they shall stay.
Because YOU, dear reader, are resourceful. And this ANZAC day, you are going to make your own. And not just any old ANZAC biscuits, but using the best recipe for ANZAC biscuits that ever existed.
You won’t find a more Australian biscuit. It should be a rite of passage to learn how to make these globules of goodness.
I’m not a professional baker by any stretch but I’ve baked hundreds upon hundreds of these and won the Blue Ribbon at the Royal Adelaide Show with this recipe. [Editor’s note: She hasn’t baked any for the office yet. Hmph].
And in my humble opinion, it’s the best, easy, chewy ANZAC biscuit recipe known to mankind.
Watch Monique Bowley make her failsafe ANZAC biscuit recipe.
LET’S DO THIS.
BUT FIRST, an OATH.
THERE IS ONLY ONE RULE FOR AN ANZAC BISCUIT:
Don’t. Deviate. From. The. Recipe.
Fancy adding a bit of citrus rind? Sure thing Maggie Beer, no one’s stopping you. Just don’t call it an ANZAC.
Are you thinking about using Maple Syrup instead of Golden Syrup? Perhaps adding a pinch of almond meal? That’s great. Just don’t call it an ANZAC.
Because this recipe should be strictly adhered to. Golden syrup, oats, butter, bicarb, desiccated coconut, flour. That. Is. All.
You know the best thing about ANZACs too, is that they are easy peasy. There are no fancy ingredients. No methods that will leave you scratching your head. Got a bowl and a wooden spoon? It’s just melt, mix and bake.
Perfect for beginners, perfect for first-time bakers and they stay good for AGES, so make a huge batch and keep them in a tin.
HERE YOU GO:
ANZAC Biscuits
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup raw sugar
- ¾ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup plain flour, sifted
- 125 g butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup
- ½ tsp bicarb soda
- 3 tablespoons boiling water
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, no fan. (If your oven is fan forced, drop it down to 160 degrees)
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place the oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a bowl, stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Melt the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over low heat. In a separate bowl, combine the bicarb and boiling water, then add this to the butter/syrup mixture. It will probably foam up and increase in size. That’s good. Pour this foaming mess into your dry mix and stir.
- Once it’s all combined, roll into golfball-sized balls, or, using a spoon, drop mixture onto trays, spacing them about 6cm apart.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Sometimes if your oven is a bit shit, like mine, you need to rotate the trays by 180 degrees halfway through baking so you get an even bake.
- Cool on trays, or transfer to wire racks. Store in an old biscuit tin that you found in an op shop, or swiped from your grandma. They’ll last months. Try not to scoff them all within the day.
The post was originally published in April 2016 and has been updated on April 22, 2020.
Feature image: Getty
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