This eggless Anzac Biscuit Bars recipe gives us a chewy oatmeal biscuit base similar to flapjacks or oatmeal bars and finishes it off with a chocolate cornflake crunch topping.
Table of Contents
I'm sure most of you have a cereal that you eat from time to time with an innocent smile remembering all the childhood memories. Somehow these Anzac biscuit bars feel both like a treat and like a mix on breakfast cereal. What would your favorite breakfast cereal be?
Anzac's are a classic recipe in Oceania and each year on 25 April the nation's stop and pause on all the lives who gave themselves during the world wars. It's our Memorial day that sees The traditional version of these is in biscuit form, but sometimes a classic is good to try in a new way and I have to say, these feel like a kiwi treat so I'm stoked.
Ingredients and substitutions for Anzac Biscuit Bars
- Oats: Simple rolled oats were used here, no quick oats or steel oats which might result in a different texture within the biscuits.
- Flour: Plain or all purpose flour is best because it gives our biscuits a nice light crumb.
- Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar helps sweeten the biscuits and give their lightly chewy texture without adding additional flavors.
- Baking soda: This helps our cookies rise avoiding a heavy dense cookie and helps to give them that golden color.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used for the cookie, but if all you have on hand is salted, that works as a fine substitute, just leave out any salt suggested in the recipe.
- Desiccated coconut: Desiccated coconut is the best choice thanks to it's fine texture. It is not recommended to completely substitute with shredded or flaked coconut as the result will likely be quite different.
- Golden syrup: The essential syrup needed to make these the traditional way. You could substitute with honey, agave syrup or brown rice syrup, if you prefer though.
- Chocolate: A combination of chocolate with at least 54% and 72% cocoa solids was used so as to ensure the topping isn't too sweet. You could use a milk chocolate mixture, though it is not recommended to completely replace with just milk chocolate as this will be too sweet.
- Cornflakes: Plain cornflakes were used to really let the biscuit base sweetness shine through. You could replace with another plain cereal like malted wheat.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Anzac Biscuit Bars:
Step 1: Stir the dry ingredients: Place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir together.
Step 2: Melt and bubble: Place the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan and heat until the butter is melted. Pour in stirred baking soda and boiled water letting it bubble.
Step 3: Biscuit dough: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until no dry portions remain in your bowl and press evenly into your baking tin. Bake until golden.
Step 4: Chocolate cornflakes: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil and stir in the cornflakes to coat fully. Slowly spread over the bars and top with a little salt, if you want.
Step 5: Top: With an optional sprinkle of sea salt and allow to set fully before slicing.
Step 6: Serve: Dig in!
FAQs for the best Anzac Biscuit Bars
Golden syrup is an essential ingredient here, however, if you cannot source it, Light Corn Syrup, Honey or Maple Syrup are the best substitutes with Corn Syrup having the most similar texture.
The boiling water in this recipe helps to dissolve the baking soda and add to the chewy texture of these when they are baked.
More chewy biscuits you'll enjoy
Anzac Biscuit Bars
Ingredients
Anzac Base
- 200 grams / 1 cup superfine/caster sugar
- 130 grams / ยพ cup + 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 50 grams / ยฝ cup desiccated coconut
- 90 grams / 1 cup rolled oats
- 100 grams / 3.5 ounces butter cubed
- 20 grams / 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 44 grams / 3 tablespoons boiling water
- 3 grams / ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
Cornflake Crunch
- 220 grams / 7.76 ounces chocolate roughly chopped
- 5 grams / 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 41 grams / 1 ยพ cups cornflakes
- Sea salt to finish
Instructions
Anzac base
- Preheat the oven to 180ยบC/350F and line a 18ร18 cm or 7ร7 inch square baking tin with parchment paper.
- Place the sugar, flour, coconut and oats into a bowl and stir together.
- Place the butter and golden syrup into a saucepan on medium heat, stirring until the butter melts.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the boiling water to the butter and golden syrup mixture.
- Stir the baking soda into the remaining boiling water and add to the butter and stir to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until no dry patches remain in the bowl.
- Spoon into your prepared tin and press down evenly.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until completely golden on top.
- Remove and set aside to cool.
Cornflake crunch
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and coconut, until smooth.
- Pour in the cornflakes, stirring to coat fully. If you crush the cornflakes in this process, don't worry, that'll help ensure they are fully covered in the chocolate.
- Spoon every last ounce of the chocolate onto the cooled bars and spread out evenly over the entire bars with the back of your spoon.
- Sprinkle sea salt over the top and allow to set for at least 2 hours.
- Slicing into bars and serve up.
- Dig in!
Video
Notes
- Oats: Simple rolled oats were used here, no quick oats or steel oats which might result in a different texture within the biscuits.
- Golden syrup: The essential syrup needed to make these the traditional way to help bind and give the right texture to our bars. You could substitute with honey, agave syrup or brown rice syrup, if you prefer though.
- Chocolate: A combination of chocolate with at least 54% and 72% cocoa solids was used so as to ensure the topping isn't too sweet. You could use a milk chocolate mixture, though it is not recommended to completely replace with just milk chocolate as this will be too sweet.
- Cornflakes: Plain cornflakes were used to really let the biscuit base sweetness shine through. You could replace with another plain cereal like malted wheat, if you prefer.
- Square tin: A square baking tin was used, though a rectangle tin would also work well.
Nutrition
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Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
Yvette
I have to leave a review because these have been whipped up in my kitchen three times in the past two weeks and they just keep disappearing. I can't be sure if it's the chewy center or crispier edges or that chocolate cornflake topping that means someone is always mad they didn't get another slice. The fact they come together quickly was initially a bonus, but has quickly become a curse too
Sylvie Taylor
It sounds like your family feels the same as mine Yvette and love to hear it!