Anzac Biscuits
Oats, coconut, golden syrup and bicarbonate of soda bloomed in melted butter, baked chewy or crisp depending on how long you leave them.
Photograph credit: ANZAC biscuits (14 April 2006) by me (w:User:pfctdayelise) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Where This Goes Wrong
Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in boiling water first. It has to foam.
Twelve minutes chewy, sixteen crisp. Pick your side.
Leave them on the tray for five minutes or they will fall apart.
Photograph credit: Biscuit Anzac, boulangerie Les Célespains, Vichy by TCY · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Making Anzac Biscuits
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Heat the oven to 160°C / 320°F fan and line two trays.
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Mix the oats, flour, coconut, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
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Melt the butter with the golden syrup in a small pan over low heat until smooth.
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Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water and stir it into the butter mixture. It will foam up considerably.
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Pour the foaming mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until evenly combined.
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Roll heaped tablespoons into balls and set them on the trays with plenty of space — they spread a lot.
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Flatten each slightly with the back of a fork.
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For chewy biscuits, bake 11 to 12 minutes until golden at the edges and still soft in the middle. For crisp ones, bake 15 to 16 minutes until evenly deep golden.
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Leave on the tray for 5 minutes — they are very soft when hot — then move to a rack to cool and firm.
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Why the Method Works
The bicarbonate of soda is dissolved in boiling water and stirred into the melted butter and syrup, where it reacts immediately and aerates the mixture — added dry with the flour it does far less. There are no eggs, which is why the originals kept for the length of a sea voyage and why the texture depends entirely on baking time.
Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping
Airtight at room temperature for 2 weeks. The dough freezes 3 months as balls.
Serving Anzac Biscuits
- A pot of tea
- A glass of cold milk
- Strong coffee
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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