Anzac Biscuits for Anzac Day

ANZAC BISCUITS

Crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle and really delicious.

During World War 1, friends, families and community groups in Australia and New Zealand sent food to their Anzac soldiers on the front line in Europe. They had to make sure the food would still be edible by the time it arrived, and the Anzac Biscuit met this need. Although there are variations, the basic ingredients are: rolled oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. The biscuits became part of the Anzac soldiers' staple diet at Gallipoli.

Every year, Anzac Day falls on the 25th April, the day of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli in 1915.

Here is an Anzac Biscuit recipe for you to try. Why not bake some in time for Anzac Day? The biscuits are incredibly quick to make and taste really lovely.

Ingredients

150g plain flour

125g unsalted butter

110g golden caster sugar

90g oatflakes

80g desiccated coconut

55g soft brown sugar

40g golden syrup

3g bicarbonate of soda

1.5 tbsp boiling water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Put the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and warm on a low heat until the butter has melted. Set aside for a few minutes to cool a little.

3. Put the flour, oatflakes, coconut and sugars in a large bowl and stir.

4. Combine the bicarbonate of soda and boiling water in a small bowl. Add this, along with the melted butter mixture, to the dry mix and stir until well combined.

5. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on the lined baking trays, allowing space for spreading. Gently press each ball to flatten slightly. I made 18, but you could make them bigger or smaller, as you prefer.

6. Bake for 10 minutes, then leave to cool on the trays. They will harden a little as they cool but should still be a bit chewy in the middle.

7. Store in an airtight container and eat within a week.

Mine didn’t last a week, though. We ate quite a few of them straight from the oven, still warm and really delicious. I only wish I had made double the amount to start with…