A simple to make biscuit with a long shelf life and a contested
origin, the ANZAC biscuit is sacred to Aussies and Kiwis. Altering this recipe may
lead to legal
consequences.
This recipe is the result of reading several different recipes and trying two different batches. The main difference in the second batch was a bit more water. My authoritative sources include the
Australian Women's Weekly the
Country Womens Association the
Australian War Memorial and my mum. They are all pretty similar, mix-it-and-bake-it. Most only have one cup of oats. I think of this as an oat biscuit, so I like the CWA recipe with two cups of oats.
Baking with kids is great fun. They love getting their hands into the mixing bowl, it creates a, relatively contained, mess, which all kids love to do, and cooking always instills a sense of pride and self-reliance. Plus they get to share the bounty, and bragging rights, with their friends.
Ingredients
Wet stuff:
- 125 grams butter. Buy a 250g block and use half.
- 2 tablespoons (60ml) golden syrup or treacle. Don't listen to people who say you should grease the spoon. Don't deprive someone of the pleasure of licking it clean.
- 3 tablespoons (150ml) water (update Jan 22)
Dry stuff:
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda, don't mistake it for baking powder).
- 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar. This is the acidic ingredient that makes the soda fizz. If you can't find it, substitute a tablespoon of lemon juice and use one less tablespoon of water.
- 2 cups (320g) rolled oats. Not quick oats.
- 1 cup (150g) plain flour
- 1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar
- Optional: 1 cup (90g) desiccated coconut.
- Pinch of salt
Note - I used the cup and spoon volume measurements to make this recipe, not the weights. I can't vouch for the weight conversions, so I recommend using the volume measures. (Update June 22: I have made this recipe a few times now using weight measures. I consequently updated some of the weights and am now more confident about them). You can work with a single measuring jug. A large-ish teacup rather than a coffee mug will do in a pinch. You can test that your chosen cup roughly fills a litre bottle with 4 cups. 1 cup = 250ml.
Equipment
Measuring jug or cup measure (or scales)
Tablespoon - a dessert spoon is a little small, so use a little extra if that's all you have.
Teaspoon - if using one from your cutlery drawer, slightly round the ingredients
Baking tray - I used two trays, but you could also do this in two batches with a single tray. The tray from the griller will do.
Oven
Mixing bowl with 3 litre capacity.
Baking paper - not waxed, or greasproof paper.
Saucepan or microwave-safe bowl for melting the butter.
Mixing spoon, though hands will do just fine.
Method
A 10-year-old could probably manage the measuring. For younger kids, I measure everything out in separate bowls before they start. That way they still get to add everything to the mixing bowl.
1. Melt the butter with the golden syrup and water. You don't need it to be super hot to melt the butter. It should be warm, but not too hot when you add it to the dry ingredients, so it can be safe for small hands.
2. If your oven has a fan (most modern ovens) preheat to 190 degrees C. 200 if no fan.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the butter mixture all at once. Mix well. It should be sticky and goopy. My first batch was a bit dry. It still made good biscuits, but they weren't like my mum used to make.
Allow the dough to sit for half an hour before baking.
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Goopy.
Try to monitor how much dough goes into mouths - that raw flour can't be very digestible.
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5. Lay a sheet of baking paper on the tray.
6. Roll the dough into little balls. If you do it with wet hands, it stops the dough from sticking to your hands. But good luck getting the kids to worry about that. Leave plenty of space between the biscuits because they will spread out. I experimented with flattening some, but they were indistinguishable from the non-flattened ones when they cooked.
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| Size |
7. Bake for at least 15 minutes. You may find - like I did - that the back of your oven is hotter than the front. If so, turn the tray around and put it back in for another 5-10 minutes until you have a nice, even caramel colour. I always loved the especially crispy, almost-burnt, edges, so don't be afraid to leave them for a few extra minutes. If you like 'em crispy, flip then over with a spatula and bake them for another 10 minutes.
8. Let them cool down on the tray. Don't worry about collisions, they tear apart easily. Store in an air-tight container. In theory, they last months. In practice, you may need to make a double batch to test the theory.
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| My first batch. The mix was a bit dry and that resulted in a chunkier, crumbly biscuit. If you like them that way, just reduce the water to 2 Tbsp and be sure to flatten them before baking. |
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a glass of milk.
Soften some ice-cream by letting it stand for 20 minutes. Sandwich some between two biscuits.
