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NOT-SO-TRADITIONAL ANZAC BISCUITS

An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand. The history behind it is interesting. It was said that during World War I, these biscuits were sent to the front lines of battle to nourish Australian soldiers. They are made of simple ingredients that don’t spoil easily, which made them a practical choice for shipping to battle zones. They are also eggless, which was helpful because of war rationing - eggs were more difficult to come by than other ingredients. Today, Anzac biscuits are manufactured commercially for retail sale.
They bake up soft. As they cool, they become firm, but chewy.

I wanted to make some snacks for a last minute outing to keep my LO 'occupied', so I needed something fast and easy. After browsing through a few recipes, this Anzac biscuit one caught my eye. It took about half an hour to whip up a batch. I made a couple of changes though. As this was a last minute thing, I did not have dessicated coconut and golden syrup at home. What I did was, I substituted the golden syrup with maple syrup and omitted the coconut. I also left out the sugar and added some raisins instead. Hence, I call it the 'Not-so-traditional' Anzac biscuits. Since this was my first time baking this and with the changes I made, I wasn't quite sure what to expect... Turns out they are not bad at all! They are not sweet, but the raisins made up for it :D 

*I've included the ingredient list for the original version below. The steps are the same.

Ingredients (Makes 12):


  • 45g quick oats
  • 50g butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 50g all purpose flour 
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup 
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup raisins


  1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line a baking tray with baking sheet and grease with some butter.
  2. Melt butter in a small pan and stir in maple syrup. Remove from heat. 
  3. Add baking soda to 1 tbsp of boiling water, then stir into the butter and syrup mixture.
  4. Put oats and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the butter and syrup mixture. Stir gently to incorporate the dry ingredients. Fold in raisins.
  5. Cover the mixture and place in refrigerator for about 10 mins to make handling easier as it is quite buttery.
  6. Take tablespoonfuls of the mixture, roll into balls, flatten slightly and place them on the greased baking sheet. Put them at about 2 cm apart to allow room for spreading. 
    Leave some room for spreading.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 8-10 mins, or til golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.


*The original version:

  • 85g porridge oat
  • 85g desiccated coconut
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100g butter, plus extra butter for greasing
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1 tsp baking soda

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