Nana’s Anzac Biscuits
Anzac biscuits hold a special place in my heart. They were one of the last foods my Nana Ngaire requested in the weeks before she passed away in 2021. Food had been a big part of her life, and in her last days, she made sure she ate some of her favourites. Nana was very specific about the Anzac biscuits she wanted, calling me aside several times before I realised that she really wanted me to make her some. She wanted them on the thinner side, chewy inside with a crisp outer. I searched her box of handwritten recipes she had given me some years earlier to no avail. So I researched and recipe tested and came up with the following version. Lower in sugar (but you wouldn’t know) and with the addition of ground ginger. The ginger is completely optional, and not at all traditional, but I think it adds a little extra something. Nana did approve. I have included a few extra tips in the recipe to achieve your preferred Anzac biscuit - thin and crispy, or thicker with a good chew.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats - I used smaller porridge oats, can also use wholegrain
- ¾ cup (110g) plain flour (wheat, spelt or gluten-free)
- ¾ cup (60g) desiccated coconut
- ⅓ cup (70g) sugar - I used raw sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)
- 120 g butter
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- ½ tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan 160ºC). Line a cookie tray with baking paper.
- Combine the oats, flour, coconut, sugar and ginger in a mixing bowl.
- In a small saucepan gently melt together the butter and golden syrup. Remove from the heat.
- Combine the boiling water and baking soda and add it to the saucepan. This is the fun part as the mixture bubbles and foams. Immediately pour this over the dry ingredients and mix into a crumbly dough.
- Squeeze the mixture into walnut-sized balls and place onto the prepared baking tray. Space about 2-3cm apart as they won’t spread much and should all fit on one tray, but use two trays if needed.
- Use fingers to flatten - quite thinly if you like your Anzac biscuits thin and crispy, or not so much if you prefer them rounder with a chewy centre.
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden, or 2-3 minutes longer if you like them a little more crispy. A trick to make extra thin crispy biscuits is after 10 minutes in the oven remove the tray and use a metal spatula to gently flatten (deflate), then continue cooking.
- Cool the biscuits on the tray then transfer to a biscuit tin and eat within 1 week. Best served with a cup of tea - black with a slice of lemon was my Nana’s preference.