Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Chewy, slightly crunchy, and altogether wonderful.
Ease: Ridiculously quick and easy. You don’t even need eggs!
Appearance: Just the way homemade cookies are supposed to look… homely.
Pros: Delicious, quick, and easy. Plus they stay good for days and days.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes
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Happy Australia Day! Well, technically if you’re in the U.S. like me it’s tomorrow. In case you didn’t know, my mom grew up in Australia and I have family over there. I also lived there for a year when I was a little girl. ANZAC biscuits (we’d call them cookies here in the U.S.) are quite iconic. ANZAC stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corps. The story behind them revolves around World War I. Apparently soldiers received ANZAC biscuits from their wives because they don’t spoil quickly and they travel well. They also don’t have any eggs as those were scarce at the time.
However these sweet little biscuits came to be, they’re quite delicious. Sort of like a slightly crispy oatmeal cookie with the addition of coconut. Traditionally they are made with dessicated coconut and golden syrup but those items are difficult to find here in the U.S.
You might also liked this coconutty Australian dessert: Lamingtons
ANZAC Biscuits
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut*
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Lyle’s golden syrup or light corn syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, coconut, and salt.
- In a small saucepan melt butter and corn syrup. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and carefully add to butter mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add butter mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine. Drop tablespoonfuls on prepared baking sheets, spreading 2 inches apart. Flatten dough balls with your hand.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
[…] to troops because they didn’t perish easily. I followed this recipe from a culinary blog (https://handletheheat.com/2012/01/anzac-biscuits.html) almost exactly plus a little extra cooking time to account for my stoneware baking trays. I […]
Hi.
Love your website, recipes, blogs. My bf has been living in the states for a year now. He was born and raised in Sydney for 38 years. He loved these cookies and suggested next time I make them I add a few raisins !!! So if an Australian native adds raisins, are they still Anzac cookies ? lol. (btw, I did not have corn syrup and couldnt make it to the store so, I uses………butter pecan pancake syrup. Shhhhhhhh…lol… They were delicious and glad I only made 1/2 a batch because i just ate the last one. 😀
The introduction of the baking of processed cereals including the creation of flour provided a more reliable source of food. Egyptian sailors carried a flat, brittle loaf of millet bread called dhourra cake, while the Romans had a biscuit called buccellum..
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Loving having a snoop round your beautiful food blog. Your photography and recipes are awesome! As I'm from Australia I was interested to check out your Anzac biscuit recipe (or biccies as we'd probably most likely call them). I can wholeheartedly say that you DEFINITELY need golden syrup to be true to their flavour and texture. And agree with previous comment that molasses that has been watered down ever so slightly would be the best substitute. (They are both by-products of the sugar cane industry.) And pretty please, don't call them Anzac cookies. 🙂
The corn syrup definitely needs to be replaced with golden syrup! I'm sure people remember the trouble Subway franchises in Australia got in with the Department of Veteran Affairs for their mis-representation of ANZAC biscuits. If you were unaware, the term “Anzac” is protected by law in Australia and NZ (has been since 1916) and the word “Anzac” in protected internationally by copyright. ANZAC biscuits are one of the few exceptions, but are required to keep to tradition. Basically, it's similar to doing restorations to a heritage listed home – Putting corn syrup in is like replacing Victorian style lattice with gargoyle statues. …or respectfully similar to defecating in Arlington National Cemetery.
If you can't get golden syrup use molasses and a teaspoon of brown sugar (golden syrup is a molasses product). Historically, the golden syrup was used to boost the nutritional value for the men in the war.
…Just a 'fun fact' for the day 🙂
Usually in recipes that require golden syrup I use honey. I did like this gingerbread for Christmas and everyone loved it!
I love anzac cookies!! I only recently discovered it and i tried making them myself. Fell in love with them at first bite!
Hello Tessa! I've come across your blog several times (especially in the last few days – I think foodgawker and tastespotting lead me here) and I just want to say that I love your blog, you have beautiful pictures and the recipes look wonderful though I have yet to try one but this one I'm planning on trying out tonight. 🙂
And, after stumbling across your blog so many times I decided to finally read your about me page. That reading through food magazines and browsing foodgawker for hours on end? Sounds just like me. And I am currently pursuing a degree in teaching but want nothing more to go to culinary school for pastry arts. And I'm (hopefully) gonna be kickstarting my blog soon so I suppose I'm starting about where you were! Out of curiosity – I'm sure you've been asked this many times – which culinary school did you choose? 😮 I've been looking around to scope out which one I would choose if I ever get the guts up to jump on it!
– Eve
Thanks for your kind comment! As far as culinary schools go, I chose a local school that is inexpensive and close by. There is a private one (Le Cordon Bleu) about 45 minutes from me but it's so ridiculously expensive. For me, it wasn't the right choice. But they do have a great program. Good luck to you! Let me know if you do start a blog 🙂
Noooo!!! ANZAC biscuits have golden syrup in them. Makes ALL the difference, I swear.
(You can buy it at cost plus wold market – it's made by Lyles and is in a jar). Or, you can become BFFs with me and I will give you one of my secret stash of squeeze bottles of it my Mum sent me from NZ.
Your choice. Lol.
Haha I know 🙁 But most of my readers will have a difficult time finding golden syrup. I personally hate when recipes call for hard-to-find ingredients. Thanks for the offer though 🙂