The Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand, made using rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter (or margarine), golden syrup, baking soda, boiling water, and (optionally) desiccated coconut.[1] Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I.Today, Anzac biscuits are manufactured commercially for retail sale. Because of their historical military connection with the ANZACs and Anzac Day, these biscuits are still used as a fundraising item for the Royal New Zealand Returned Services’ Association (RSA) and the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL). Special collectors old-style biscuit tins with World War military artwork are usually produced in the lead up to Anzac Day and sold in supermarkets, in addition to the standard plastic packets available all year. The official RSL biscuit is produced by Unibic under licence.
Why did the Anzac give their name to these cookies?
The origin dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. New immigrants to Australia, especially the Irish and the Scots, took these oatmeal cookies with them. During the First World War, it was these cakes that women sent to soldiers, because they could keep for a long time and did not suffer from transport.
The original biscuit recipe was made to keep for a long time, and withstand the long journeys that led them to these soldiers.The soldier’s biscuit is rich, good, very good even, and will be perfect to accompany hikers during the ascent of the Himalayas, Mont Blanc, or Mont Ventoux (well in my case, the mountain range of the Alpilles will be quite sufficient).
A FEW MORE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING ANZAC BISCUITS (IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ) :
- If possible, bake these two trays at the same time. I found that the dough doesn’t rest super well, so you are best to bake them off just after mixing if you can. It isn’t the end of the world if you can’t but the texture of the second batch may be different to that of the first.
- Watch these carefully as they can get a little toasty on the bottoms! Mine needed 15 minutes. If you want them a little less golden and a bit softer drop the baking time by a minute or so. Check on them at 12 minutes and go from there.
- This recipe would halve very well as there are no eggs. However, the biscuits last a long time in an airtight container if you only have a few people in the house. (These will disappear quick though, promise!)
- I get you to roll the mixture into balls. You don’t need to flatten them down – they will flatten off themselves in the oven.
- If you would like to get your cookies super round you can do a #cookiescoot. Take a cutter slightly bigger than the cookie and place it over the top and use it to scoot it into a round shape when it is hot out of the oven.
ANZAC Biscuits Recipe
Ingrédients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°f / 160°c. See notes about oven temp - if your oven is running hot, these will spread a lot. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
- Weigh out 135g of the brown butter and place into a small saucepan. Add the Steens Raw Native Bush Honey and water, and place over a low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth and melted together.
- While the wet ingredients are heating up, in a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut, oats, brown sugar, white sugar, and salt. Mix until full incorporated.
- Once the butter and honey mixture is smooth and combined, remove from the heat and add the baking soda, mixing well to incorporate (it will foam up a little). Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until well combined.
- Portion the mixture into 2 Tbsp balls (it will feel a little greasy but that is ok), and roll into balls. Space evenly on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 14 to 15 minutes, until they are golden brown and set around the edges. Check for doneness after 13 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and using a large cookie cutter, scoot the biscuits into a round shape if desired. Leave to cool on the pans - they will set up as they cool.
- Store biscuits in an airtight container.