ANZAC Biscuits
Golden, crisp edges with a chewy centre, ANZAC biscuits are a true Aussie and New Zealand classic. With their simple pantry ingredients and signature caramel flavour, these biscuits have stood the test of time for good reason. Whether you like them crunchy or slightly soft, they’re the perfect homemade treat to enjoy with a cuppa.
Ingredients
Plain flour, oats, desiccated coconut, salt, sugar, baking soda, butter, golden syrup
The Origin of ANZAC biscuits
ANZAC biscuits have a history closely tied to Australia and New Zealand’s military past, particularly during World War I. The name “ANZAC” stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers fought at the Gallipoli Campaign.
During the war, families and community groups wanted to send food to soldiers overseas, but it needed to survive the long sea journey without spoiling. Traditional biscuits made with eggs didn’t keep well, so recipes evolved to use ingredients like rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup, and baking soda – things that were more shelf-stable. The result was what we now know as ANZAC biscuits: sturdy, long-lasting, and easy to transport.
Today, ANZAC biscuits are strongly associated with ANZAC Day, a day of remembrance held each year on April 25. Interestingly, the name ANZAC is protected by law in Australia, meaning recipes and products using the term must respect its historical significance – one reason you’ll not see them referred to as “cookies.” They must follow a traditional recipe and mustn’t be substantially altered, especially at a commercial level.
Can substitutions be made?
It depends if you have dietary requirements or don’t have access to certain ingredients like golden syrup:
Vegan – these biscuits are already vegetarian but if you want to make it vegan, use something like margarine or coconut oil.
Golden syrup – if you don’t have access to golden syrup, swap to something like treacle, molasses, honey or maple syrup.
My Best Tips
There’s debate on whether ANZAC biscuits should be chewy or crispy. Personally, I love a crispy biscuit. Cooking time and how they’re shapped determines how they turn out. Rolling them into a ball will keep them chewy as they don’t spread much unless flattened. Cooking time also helps with their texture, even for flattened biscuits; chewy biscuits are cooked for less time, and crispy are cooked for longer.
Different types of sugar can change the taste; I’ve made batches of biscuits with brown sugar, white sugar, half and half, and raw sugar. I got mixed reviews on which they preferred, so it’ll depend on the flavour you’d like. Half and half, brown, and raw sugar will give you more butterscotch flavour, whereas white sugar gives a balance of flavours.
ANZAC Biscuits
Ingredients
- 125 g butter
- 140 g sugar Note 1
- 120 g flour
- 60 g oats
- 40 g desiccated coconut
- 60 g golden syrup Note 2
- 4 g bicarb soda
- 4 g salt
Instructions
- Mix together the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, oats, coconut and salt.
- Melt butter and golden syrup in a small pot. Once melted, add in the bicarb and stir together. Be careful, it will foam up.
- Pour the melted butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Make into balls with your hands or use an ice cream scoop to make even sized biscuits. Shape into a thick puck by rolling into a ball and slightly pressing down on the round dough ball.
- Flatten the dough slightly if you want a crispier biscuit. If you leave as a round shape, rather than a thick puck (which gives you the classic biscuit shape), it will bake into a dome shape rather than a flatter biscuit. Note 3
- Bake at 160 degrees for between 10-15 minutes. Around the 10 minute mark for soft and chewy and 15+ minutes if you want crunchier and chewy. Keep an eye on it so the edges don't burn.
