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    Home / Recipes / Cookies

    Anzac Biscuits (in the British sense of the word)

    Published Oct 29, 2011

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    pile of anzac biscuits

    While working as a barista at Farley's, I noticed a curious cookie begin to turn up in our morning pastry boxes. They were called ANZACs. Nobody understood the name of these cookies, but we did get that they were curiously tasty, packed with oats and shredded coconut. I recall them being soft and chewy, mild in flavor, and pale golden in color.

    golden syrup
    When someone penciled in "Australian New Zealand Army Corps" on their display label, I thought it a Farley's barista prank, like the time one worker wrote "Goetse Danish" on the Cherry Danish label, and snickered when an elderly female customer unwittingly ordered one.

    scoops of oats
    One day a British customer enlightened me: ANZAC really was an acronym for the above, and they were called biscuits rather than cookies, in the British sense of the word, meaning not the fluffy quickbread with which we Americans are familiar, but any small, sweet cookie.

    bowl of dry ingredients
    Since I remembered liking the Anzacs at Farley's, I decided to try a recipe I came across in Mani Niall's Sweet!, a book that deliciously explores all manner of sweeteners. The recipe for Anzacs is legally protected by the Australian and New Zealand governments, and Aussies and Kiwis alike seem to go up in arms (hopefully not literally) when their national recipe is tampered with, or when the biscuits are called 'cookies' (by pesky Americans, no doubt).

    block of butter
    I did make three teeny, tiny changes to the recipe, though, which I pray will not arouse the wrath of anyone down-under (I hear they can be pretty feisty): I decreased the sugar just a bit, subbed some whole spelt flour for the all-purpose, and added a touch of salt. I kind of have a thing for salt in my cookies, and I'm confidant that the addition caused the biscuits to taste extra-addictive. In fact, Jay dubbed these "ANZ-Cracks."

    egg poured into flour
    So I mixed up the dough, which happily requires merely melting the butter and syrup together, dissolving the baking soda in a bit of boiling water, and stirring everything up in a big bowl. The cookies get scooped into balls, then flattened into discs and baked. Unlike the Anzacs from Farley's (which I suspect did not contain golden syrup), these biscuits baked up deeply orange-brown, and firmed up to a candy-like crispness when cool. The oats and coconut give the cookies a lightness that reminds me of a cross between the wheaty digestive biscuits I enjoyed in England and a crisp granola bar, only more dessert-like than either.

    balls of cookie dough
    Purportedly, Anzacs were created for Australian and New Zealand soldiers during the first world war, and their ingredients kept them fresh for long periods of time. Unlike other drop cookies, Anzacs contain no eggs, as there was a shortage of poultry farmers during that time. Another characteristic that sets Anzacs apart is the addition of golden syrup, which caramelizes in the oven, turning the cookies a deep orange-brown. Golden syrup is becoming increasingly easy to find in the states, but you can order it if you need an authentic Anzac fix.

    anzac biscuits before cooking
    I had never tasted golden syrup on its own before, but I found some at Rainbow recently and snapped it up. A thick sweetener made from boiling cane sugar down until it turns golden and takes on a toffee-like flavor, it has the smooth, mildness of corn syrup, minus the scariness. I'm itching to find out what else I can use it in - ice cream? Pecan pie? Treacle Tart?

    cookies on a baking tray
    (If you have any ideas, let me know.)

    stack of anzac biscuits

    More Cookie Recipes:

    • Maple Bacon Sugar Cookies
    • Nibby Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
    • Nibby Matcha Wafers
    • Salty Double Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this anzac biscuit recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    5 from 1 vote

    Anzac Biscuits

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    A traditional sweet British biscuit.
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total: 25 minutes
    Servings: 24 3" cookies.

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
    • 1/2 cup whole spelt or whole wheat pastry flour (2 1/2 ounces)
    • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (3 3/4 ounces)
    • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
    • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (4 3/4 ounces)
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 4 ounces unsalted butter, in 6 pieces (8 tablespoons/1 stick)
    • 2 tablespoons Lyle's golden syrup
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 tablespoons boiling water
    • a few pinches of flaky salt, such as maldon

    Instructions

    • Position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 350º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, coconut, sugar and salt.
    • Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally.
    • Place the baking soda in a small bowl and stir in the boiling water. Stir the baking soda mixture into the butter mixture, then stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture to combine. You will have a fairly firm dough.
    • Scoop the dough into walnut-sized balls (about 1 inch in diameter; I use a #40 spring-loaded ice cream scoop with the purple handland place them 3-4 inches apart on the baking sheet - you will only be able to fit 8 on each sheet. Use your palm to flatten the cookies to 2" discs. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky salt over each cookie before baking.
    • Bake the cookies until they turn an orangey-golden-brown all over, 12-15 minutes, rotating once during the baking time. Use a thin, metal spatula to remove the cookies to racks to cool. The cookies will be firm-soft when warm, but should crisp up when cool. (I like them best crunchy and caramelized.)
    • Repeat with the remaining dough and cookies.
    • ANZACs keep well for up to several weeks, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

    Notes

    Adapted from Sweet!
    These cookies bake longer than regular drop cookies; when ready, they will turn an orangey-brown all over, and, when cooled, should firm up to a crisp and crunchy texture.
    Lyle's Golden Syrup gives these cookies their characteristic color and flavor; I have yet to hear of an adequate substitute.
    Nutritional values are based on one of twenty four cookies.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 112kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 98mgPotassium: 45mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.5mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Anzac Biscuits

    Makes about 2 dozen 3" cookies

    Adapted fromSweet!

    These cookies bake longer than regular drop cookies; when ready, they will turn an orangey-brown all over, and, when cooled, should firm up to a crisp and crunchy texture. Lyle's Golden Syrup gives these cookies their characteristic color and flavor; I have yet to hear of an adequate substitute.

    1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) whole spelt (or whole wheat pastry) flour
    1 cup (3 3/4 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
    1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
    1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 3/4 ounces) sugar
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt

    4 ounces (8 tablespoons/1 stick) unsalted butter, in 6 pieces
    2 tablespoons Lyle's golden syrup

    1 teaspoon baking soda
    2 tablespoons boiling water

    a few pinches of flaky salt, such as maldon

    Position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 350º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

    In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, coconut, sugar and salt.

    Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally.

    Place the baking soda in a small bowl and stir in the boiling water. Stir the baking soda mixture into the butter mixture, then stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture to combine. You will have a fairly firm dough.

    Scoop the dough into walnut-sized balls (about 1 inch in diameter; I use a #40 spring-loaded ice cream scoop with the purple handle) and place them 3-4 inches apart on the baking sheet - you will only be able to fit 8 on each sheet. Use your palm to flatten the cookies to 2" discs. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky salt over each cookie before baking.

    Bake the cookies until they turn an orangey-golden-brown all over, 12-15 minutes, rotating once during the baking time. Use a thin, metal spatula to remove the cookies to racks to cool. The cookies will be firm-soft when warm, but should crisp up when cool. (I like them best crunchy and caramelized.)

    Repeat with the remaining dough and cookies.

    ANZACs keep well for up to several weeks, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

    cookies and tea

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Waleed Sadak says

      December 10, 2012 at 12:54 am

      Lyle's golden syrup is perfect for peacan pie!!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        January 07, 2013 at 7:23 am

        Great idea - that sounds fantastic!

        Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      February 28, 2013 at 6:40 am

      I found this recipe after hearing about Anzacs in the comment sections for British flapjacks. These were awesome! My husband absolutely loved them, and he loved how different they were. Adding the Maldon brought the flavor over the top. Thanks for such a great recipe!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        February 28, 2013 at 7:28 am

        Oh, I'm so glad you guys like them! I hope to try making flapjacks one of these days - they sound delicious. Thanks for the note. :)

        Reply
    3. Lavacha T says

      September 23, 2014 at 11:21 pm

      Hej Alanna,
      thank you for the recipe, they taste great! I guess they're all gone tomorrow...

      I live in Germany and golden Sirup is a breakfast and cooking staple here. Since I can't get treacle, I've always used GS instead, or substituted a bit for honey when I wanted that caramel note. My Gran called it 'poor peoples honey' and I had it as a treat on buttered bread - maybe try that and wait for inspiration?

      Hereabouts it's made from beet sugar, not cane sugar, so it might taste a bit earthier than your kind.

      Off to browse the recipes a bit more, thanks again for the cookies!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 25, 2014 at 12:08 am

        Hi Lavacha, I'm so glad you like these anzacs - thank you for the note! I love the idea of golden syrup on buttered toast, yum!

        Reply
    4. Anonymous says

      February 27, 2015 at 9:24 pm

      So I fell over your recipe. Yes it is a few years since this was posted.. however....

      As an Aussie I have to say that it really is OK to change the recipe for ANZACS without suddenly being thrown to the wolves. We do it all the time. I dont even use coconut!! * waitis for the men in dark suits to come take me away*

      Anyway, LOVE your site.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        February 27, 2015 at 11:14 pm

        Blasphemy! ;)

        Reply
    5. Amelia says

      May 19, 2021 at 8:27 pm

      Years go by and I keep coming back to this recipe.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        May 20, 2021 at 4:45 pm

        Awwwww that means so much to me A! I'm so glad you love it. I need to try a GF version so I can enjoy them again too!

        Reply

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