ANZAC Day is now a commemoration for all those who have served in New Zealand military operations. We start the day with dawn services at cenotaphs and memorials around the country. Several of my own grandfathers, great-grandfathers and uncles served in WWI and WWII, so I'll be taking time out on Wednesday to remember and thank them.
We have another tradition in New Zealand and Australia every April - we make these Anzac Biscuits. The story goes that these biscuits were sent to our soldiers overseas by their wives and mothers, because the biscuits keep so well... there is a fairly big question mark over the authenticity of that, but it's a nice story all the same. You'll also notice there are no eggs in this recipe - most of our poultry farmers joined the war effort and eggs were rather scarce.
Enjoy these little golden biscuits, which are crisp at first but will get chewier after a day or two. They are truly delicious and a real favourite in New Zealand and Australia.
A quick note - golden syrup is a delicious sugar product made in New Zealand; it's a pantry staple for us. If you don't have access to golden syrup then perhaps try maple syrup or treacle as a substitute - they're the closest thing I can think of.
ANZAC Biscuits
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
3/4 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
4oz butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp boiling water
Preheat the oven to 180(C) and line a baking tray or two with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, coconut, flour and sugar. In a medium saucepan, gently melt together the butter and golden syrup. Put the baking soda in a cup or ramekin, and add the boiling water. Mix to disssolve the baking soda then pour it into the saucepan with the butter and syrup. It will foam up which is always a little exciting! Stir it with a wooden spoon and tip it into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix to a crumbly sort of dough. Drop in spoonfuls onto the prepared trays, and leave a bit of room for spreading.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are nicely round and a golden colour. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight tin - you could test the myth of how well they keep, but I don't think they'll last long enough for you to find out!
8 comments:
They look wonderful! :o)
If it helps, and if you want the middle chewy and the outer edge crunchy, you can cover them with a clean tea towel (either on the tray they came out of the oven on, or on a wire rack).
I do this with the ANZAC biscuits, choc chip biscuits etc
yum!
Yes, that is the same story I was told about Anzac biscuits - they are good keepers (if they aren't eaten first!). I use the same recipe and never have failures. They are indeed yummy!
In memory of all the ANZAC diggers who fought for us - Lest We Forget.
Cheers - Joolz
I think I will try making these tonight! If I substitute maple syrup for golden syrup, I should have everything for them in my cupboard... maybe I'll make extra and send some off to a friend who's away at officer training.
You can use dark corn syrup instead of golden syrup, or possibly agave (depending on where you live).
Good post, nice to see the NZ ANZAC theme and delicious biscuits!
In a pinch I've even used honey instead of Golden Syrup.
One thing I have to point out in this recipe, is the ingredient "baking soda". This is a confusing term in many countries.
Baking soda is not baking powder which is a raising ingredient used in many cake recipes. Anzac's are made with Bicarb (bicarbonate) Soda.
I'm not sure what Baking Soda actually is, as some countries use it for calling Baking Powder and others use it for Bicarb soda.
I wish recipes would not mix the two terms up, because if you put the wrong ingredient in you won't get the desired result. With Anzacs you need the fizzy reaction of adding bicarb soda - to flatten the biscuits, not baking powder as many biscuit recipes use to make them rise.
Not having a go at the author, it just niggles me when I read recipes and don't know what ingredient they're referring to, when they use the term Baking Soda. I know Anzac's because I bake them a lot, but new recipes I end up having to experiment and sometimes waste ingredients.
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