ANZAC Biscuits (cookies)

ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. These biscuits were made during World War I for the soldiers. The cookies travel well and stay fresh for days. They are also SO DeLiCiOuS! If you like coconut, you will love these!!!

Anzac Cookies

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, chopped (I used Sweetened coconut)
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar (I used ¾ cup white sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar)
8 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup (or honey or corn syrup)
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Since the cookies are thin, it’s best to bake them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. When removed from the oven they are too fragile to remove by spatula, with the parchment you can lift them off of the baking sheet and can set on a rack to cool.

In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, and coconut. I realized at the last minute I was out of white sugar. I decided to replace it with brown sugar and it worked perfectly. I’ve also seen recipes using a combination of half white and half brown sugar. Feel free to experiment!

Combine the baking soda and boiling water in a small bowl to dissolve, and set aside. In a small pan, melt the butter and stir in the golden syrup. Since golden syrup is nearly impossible to find here, I used light corn syrup. Once the syrup is mixed into the butter, stir in the baking soda and water mixture. Remove from heat and pour into the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients.

Stir until the dough forms. It should be moist and able to hold its shape. If too dry, add a few drops water. If too moist, add a sprinkle of flour. Mine turned out fine and didn’t need either adjustment.

Place rounded teaspoon of mixture on parchment and generously space apart. I made 12 cookies to a sheet to make sure they had enough room to spread. The cookies will each be 3-4″ wide.

Place baking sheet into a preheated 300 degree oven for 12 minutes or until the cookies are a deep golden brown on top. They will puff up during baking and once cooled will be very thin. Makes about 3 dozen cookies. I made mine a bit larger, so resulted in 2 dozen.

The taste is slightly sweet and buttery while the texture is crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle. Add these to your list of things to try — they are well worth it.