Anzac Biscuits are an Australasian symbol of Memorial Day with these eggless oatmeal sweet biscuits a tradition in New Zealand and Australia in honor of the men who were fighting a world war thousands of miles away.
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The origins of these biscuits isn't clear, with this article saying the recipe comes from southern New Zealand, although there is no concrete evidence to where it was originally published or by which of those neighboring countries can rightly claim the title of creator.
What are Anzac Biscuits?
Anzac biscuits are classic Australasian cookies created during World War I. They were made by wives and loved ones to send to soldiers serving in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). These eggless biscuits are made with rolled oats, coconut, golden syrup, and butter, resulting in a deliciously chewy and flavorful treat.
The History of Anzac Biscuits
The story goes that during the First World War, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) had Anzac biscuits sent to soldiers. Using ingredients made with a long shelf life made them perfect for loved ones to send to soldiers fighting on the battle lines across the other side of the world. Anzac Day is commemorated on 25 April and is Memorial Day for both Australia and New Zealand with many people wearing red poppies and making Anzac biscuits in their kitchens.
Ingredients and substitutions for Anzac Biscuits
- Oats: Simple rolled oats were used here. 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 or salted butter works great. Simply leave out any salt suggested in the recipe if using salted.
- 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.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Anzac Biscuits:
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.
Step 4: Shape and bake: Shape into even balls (weighing on a scale, if you prefer), flatten slightly and place onto a lined baking tray. Baking until golden and then cooling.
Step 5: Serve up: Serve alongside a cup of your favorite hot beverage and dig in!
FAQ's for the best Anzac Biscuits
The boiling water helps dissolve the baking soda and add to the chewy texture of the baked biscuits.
Yes, Anzac biscuits can be customized to suit personal preferences. You can add your own twist with chocolate chips, dried fruit, or nuts for added texture and flavor. However, be mindful not to alter the base recipe too much, as it may affect the texture and authenticity of the biscuits.
These will absolutely keep for up to 5 days covered in a container.
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Anzac Biscuits
Ingredients
- 175 grams / ยพ cup + 2 tablespoons superfine/caster sugar
- 120 grams / ยพ cup plain flour
- 60 grams / ยฝ cup + 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 100 grams / 1 cup + 2 tablespoons rolled oats
- 100 grams / 3.5 ounces butter cubed
- 20 grams / 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 35 grams / 2 ยฝ tablespoons boiling water
- 3 grams / ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- 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.
- Take a tablespoon amount and press and roll into a ball, flattening to ensure the cookie has nice rounded edges and place on your baking tray 1 ยฝ inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden all over.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool and harden on the tray for 2 minutes.
- Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
- Golden syrup sub: If you cannot source golden syrup easily, this is a thick syrup so you could sub honey, agave syrup or brown rice syrup.
- Boiling water in the biscuits: The boiling water in this recipe helps to dissolve the baking soda and add to the chewy texture of these when they are baked.
- Weight of unbaked biscuits: Each of the biscuits was weighed to be 30 grams prior to baking and with the lower oven temperature (most biscuits are baked at around 180C/350F) they won't spread too much.
- Serving with a twist: Anzac Biscuits are usually served as is, however, if you want to fancy them up a little, you could drizzle over a little melted milk or white chocolate.
- Keeping your Anzac biscuits: These will absolutely keep for up to 5 days covered in a container.
Nutrition
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