Chewy, sweet, golden oaty Anzac biscuits - a celebration of our soldiers and a home baked Kiwi classic!
Anzac Day, Anzac Day, Anzac Day!
It's been exactly 21 days since the last long weekend and I am so ready for this one!
Anzac Day is one of the really great New Zealand public holidays. It marks the anniversary of the day that the ANZAC troops (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) landed on the beach in Gallipoli during WWI and it is a day of remembrance for our troops, past and present, that fight for our little country with the big guys. If I could bake them all biscuits, I would.
Because I'm a curious George, I did a bit of looking into what these biscuits actually have to do with Anzac Day and why they are called Anzac biscuits. It turns out that they weren't actually eaten on the front line but they were one of the different types of home baking made and sold at bake sales around NZ to raise money for the war efforts! The first time they were mentioned in a cookbook was in 1921 so these are pretty much the epitome of a Kiwi classic.
I don't actually know if Anzac biscuits can be claimed by us or Australia, given that we both feature in the title, and I'm definitely not going to get into a Trans-Tasman battle over the origin so let's just agree on this. These are the quickest, easiest and some of the tastiest cookies you will eat. Just saying though, it was probably NZ 😉
Every man and his dog and his mum, and his friend's Nana has their own recipe for Anzac biscuits but this is my favourite. It's the no-frills version which in my opinion is the best. Sometimes if I'm feeling fancy I'll add chocolate chips, cranberries, slivered almonds or dried apricots but sometimes, you just want the classic.
They're a one pot wonder and don't need to be chilled - pretty much the 2 reasons I love them so much! Clean up is a breeze and they are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. More time to be spent on the eating of the biscuits!
One of the traditional ingredients in Anzac biscuits is golden syrup - if you are somewhere you can't find golden syrup, you can use light corn syrup or honey in it's place. The golden syrup is melted with the butter, then oats, flour, coconut and sugar are added along with baking soda dissolved in some warm water.
10 minutes prep time, 12 minutes bake time, 1 minute demolishing them time. Add a cuppa and it's the perfect Anzac Day morning snack!
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Anzac Biscuits
Ingredients
- 100 g butter
- 2 tablespoon golden syrup (see recipe note 1)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon warm water
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Add butter & golden syrup to a medium saucepan and melt over a medium heat.
- Add sugars, oats, coconut and flour and mix together.
- In a small bowl mix together baking soda and warm water, add to the pot and combine.
- Roll the cookie dough into ball about 1 tablespoon in size and place on a lined baking tray.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container for 1 week.
Notes
- If you can't find golden syrup you can use honey or light corn syrup in its place
Kay says
It's ANZAC today and I was wanting to make ANZAC biscuits. I came across your recipe and made these this morning. Wow, I have to say these are the best ANZAC biscuits I have ever made, and I have made a few over the years. This will now be my go-to recipe from now on. My hubby loved them too! Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe Laura.
Murray says
I found the mix to be crumbly and difficult to form the ball and keep its binding…
Must have done something wrong?
Expat in Vancouver
Laura says
You might just need to add slightly more water or even an extra squeeze of golden syrup to help them hold together, it's a pretty forgiving recipe!
Anni says
Ok I need to eat gluten and dairy free, so I made these using rice porridge instead of oats, olivani margarine instead of butter, and edmonds gf flour with a tiny bit of xanthan gum added. Oh and I left out the coconut because I don't like it. And they are amazing! Even with all my necessary mods I consider that I used your recipe so you're getting the credit. Yay! I love them, thankyou!
Gkynis says
Loved this recipe 😃 Definitely Kiwi 👍 One thing I wondered are they supposed to be hard on the outside?
Mine were soft but could have been the airtight container container no longer airtight!
Laura says
Mine are always on the softer side, that's how I prefer them! You can always bake them a little bit longer if you prefer them crispier on the outside but they also will soften over time as they are stored!
Adrienne says
Finally the perfect Anzac recipe… too many others have significantly higher amounts of sugar, but these have just the perfect amount! Subbed golden syrup for maple syrup as had no GS and they were delicious!
Ps have used a number of your recipes and you’ve really just nailed it!
Carol in Devon says
Brilliant recipe, due to corona virus am unable to visit my daughter and 3 grandchildren in Taranaki this year. At least now I can make Anzac biscuits to enjoy and give to friends here in uk, than you so much.
Helen says
Great recipe. Easy and delicious. Who can ask for more. 😋
Karina says
This is one biscuit I struggled with until I found your recipe. Amazing
don says
" I’m definitely not going to get into a Trans-Tasman battle over the origin "
Pah! Call yourself a kiwi! The only thing we let the Aussies claim is Joh Bjelke-Petersen. (He moved to Australia when he was two, and the Australian media always used his first name. Unfortunately they thought his first name was 'The New Zealander'.)
Italy, Japan, Germany ... we'll let bygones be bygones. But the Aussies! Never! Never forget the true origin of the Pavlova! Split Enz! Russel Cro ... ahem. Maybe that one.
Laura says
Hahaha Don!! You are so right, how unpatriotic of me to not argue that obviously they are Kiwi!! Thanks for your comment, it made me giggle! Laura
jayne says
I was looking for an Anzac biscuit recipe and now i don't need to look any further! yours look perfect Laura and great pics!
Laura says
Thanks Jayne! I hope you liked them and had a great long weekend!
Kim @ Land of Zonkt says
Ah the good old Anzac, no biscuit compares and I LOVE them so, they really do have a place in history and hearts.
I always thought it was sent because it was one of the only things that wouldn't go stale during its long journey to troop??? who knows these stories are like Chinese whispers I think.
I also think that if the recipe has no golden syrup its NOT an ANZAC Biscuit in my eyes, the chewier the better and as for which island is the original recipes decentant, who knows... but I'm pretty sure there's a reason A... comes first in Anzac...????????????
Thanks for linking up to Your Weekly Feed hun. May you indulge in many an ANZAC's over the long weekend. xx
Laura says
They really are some of my favourite biscuits for sure! Hahaha I KNEW the "A" first would come back to bite me!! Hope you had a great long weekend and ate all the biscuits! 🙂
Kathryn says
I love ANZAC biscuits! I'm sure every Aussie & New Zealander has these basic ingredients at all times just to make these! I know it's the only reason I keep golden syrup 😛
Thanks for your amazing site Laura!
Cheers, Kate (from across the Tasman)
Laura says
Haha me too!! I never use golden syrup for anything else!! Thanks for visiting Kate from across the Tasman! 😛
Lennie says
Golden syrup dumplings are norty but nice