Hey everyone, a real true blue Aussie here. This recipe is probably one of the closest to the middle ground, of the various types we make. But just a note, **they don’t HAVE to be crunchy** In Australia, we are split. Half like them crunchy, half like them chewy. I think chewy only just wins, at least where I’m from. It is said that the women back at home in WWI wanted to make biscuits for the men at war, as they were concerned they weren’t eating well. But as they were on rations, they didn’t have eggs. So this recipe was born. Or so they say. Just remember, these biscuits are great crunchy or chewy!!!
Much different from the standard cookie mixes from my American recipes. I made these for an Aussie friend of mine. She was so excited. Although, I ended up using Karo light syrup instead of the golden. She assured me they tasted the same as what she remembered her mother making. I've tried with regular coconut and toasted. My household liked it best with the toasted coconut.
Wasn't sure which syrup here in Colorado (U.S.) was considered "golden" so I got the wrong one ("Karo Corn Syrup with real Brown Sugar") not sure how it affected the taste. Also, our first batch was SOOO super dry, we couldn't keep the cookies together at all! They were falling apart all over the cookie pans. The taste was good (or what you expect with ANZAC cookies) but all were so crumbly, and big balls as they didn't spread. So I read somewhere that in Australia the Tablespoon is bigger than here in U.S. (?) and so made a second batch and added more syrup and butter (like 2 more T. butter) and then they spread out like in the pictures. (Very greasy on the fingers, though, to drop onto cookie sheet because of all the butter, definitely use a spoon.) But they were what we had expected to get the first time. Everyone seemed to gobble them up (in my son's 7th grade class.) Also used Mound's shredded coconut; yummy.
My 9 year old Grandson and I made these biscuits (cookies) for a class presentation on Australia. We use unsweetened coconut and added a 1/4 teaspoon salt. If your dough is crumbly, just add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough holds together. We used a small cookie scoop (about 1-1/2” across) and flattened the biscuits a bit. After baking they came out about 3 inches across. Our biscuits were smaller, so we baked them 10 minutes @ 350F. They came out crispy but a bit tough and chewy in the middle. After they cooled for half an hour, they crisped up more. We also found them a bit greasy; next time we’ll try 1/3 cup butter and add 1/4 cup more flour, for a softer cookie (personal preference). UPDATE: I used 1 cup coconut, 1-1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/3 cup butter, on my second attempt; and baked them @300F, 13 minutes. They were softer, as I had hoped. Either way the flavor of these biscuit is great A Google search found the original recipe on the Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs website. Sharon’s recipe is spot on, except the original recipe calls for 1 cup coconut. NOTE: The Australian Tablespoon is actually about 1 teaspoon larger than the US Tablespoon; 1 (US) Tablespoon PLUS 1 (US) teaspoon is equal to 1 (Australian) Tablespoon. Adjust teaspoon measurements, using just slightly rounded teaspoons (or fractions of teaspoon) in Australian recipes; unless it is noted that measurements have been converted to US measurements.
Doesnt get more Aussie than this!! The one and only recipe i have always used to make the boys Anzac Biscuits, id have to say i like a little extra golden syrup in my mix :) yet it never fails to hit the spot everytime.
I have tried a few different Anzac biscuit recipes and this one has the best balanced list of ingredients of all. The only downside is that the indicated cooking time will give very tough brittle cookies. Some people like that but we prefer chewie ones. I only baked mine for 15 minutes and they came out perfectly. They didn't spread too much.
I followed recipe exactly. Dont overbake they come out of the oven soft but quickly become a very crunchy cookie. I usually prefer a softer cookie but actually really liked the flavor. The more you eat the better they become!
Wonderful good "cripsy" cookies! They stay crisp even after you dunk them in cold milk. Found "golden syrup" at a store carrying British items the taste is well worth it to find that item. Cookies were a bit hard to remove from greased cookie sheets; switched to parchment paper and it was much easier. You can use the parchment paper over and over to cook the entire batch. The recipe made 4 dozen but I ate over a dozen while baking them last night. Another favorite of the Key West Dessert Lover!
A few changes: I toasted the coconut first before adding to dry ingredients. I added 1/2 cup dried currants to the dry ingredients. I used 1/2 c 1 T butter substituted molasses for the golden syrup and used 2 T of it. I formed the dough into 5 logs and baked for 20 minutes. Then I let the logs cool and cut each log into 6 slices. Then I toasted the slices in the oven at 150 deg for 6 hours flipping midway through. This way the cookies are nice and crunchy and perfect for dipping into tea. Each cookie has 4.5 g fat and 9.5 g carb. With the modifications this is a 5 star recipe.
Delicious... But DO NOT cook for the full time if you don't want crunchy cookies! 10 minutes was perfect even though they won't look done when they come out of the oven.
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