ANZAC Biscuits

ANZAC biscuits - Image Mark Best

Anzac Day, April 25th, is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Specifically it marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War where some 60,000 Australians and 17,000 New Zealanders perished.

The army ration biscuit, also known as an Anzac wafer or Anzac tile, is essentially a long shelf-life, hard tack biscuit, eaten as a substitute for bread. Unlike bread, though, the biscuits are very, very hard. Some soldiers preferred to grind them up and eat as porridge.

Mine is the traditional sweet recipe made from ingredients that could survive the two-month journey sent from loved ones to soldiers on the front line, they were originally called Soldier’s biscuits and renamed following the Gallipoli landings.

The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps or ANZACs as they came to be known are remembered by these simple sweet biscuits that we bake on this occasion. Lest we forget.

• 90 gms steel-cut oats

•  75gm plain flour

•  100 gm wholemeal flour

•  150 gm raw sugar

•  30 gms desiccated coconut

•  5 gms salt

• 40 gms golden syrup (or light treacle)

•  1/2 tsp Baking Soda

•  60 mls water

•  125 gms butter

  1. sift flours, salt & baking soda together

  2. add oats, sugar & coconut

3. place butter, water & golden syrup into a pan & heat gently until just melted.

4. stir into the dry ingredients & work lightly until amalgamated

  5.moisten your hands and roll into small, walnut sized, balls & place onto a paper lined baking sheet

 6. allow 10 cm between each as they spread

7. bake at 170C until golden. around 35 min for chewy, 45 for crunchy