There are lots of different recipes available for Anzac Biscuits, many of which have evolved over time. This is one of the more classic Anzac Biscuit recipes you’ll find. Kids just love em, so you might want to make a double batch!
You can of course bake Anzac biscuits any time of the year, but they are very popular around Anzac Day.
History of the Classic Anzac Biscuit
There’s some debate over whether the Anzac biscuit was invented in New Zealand or Australia.
The earliest published recipe appears in a New Zealand cookbook from 1915, but was for an Anzac cake, not a biscuit. An Australian recipe book in 1917 had a recipe for an Anzac biscuit, but it was a totally different recipe.
Then in 1921 a new edition of the New Zealand cookbook had a recipe for Anzac crispies, which is the classic biscuit we all know. Future editions of both New Zealand and Australian cookbooks then referred to this classic recipe as the Anzac biscuit!
Rather than being sent to the front lines for the soldiers to eat as some people think, ANZAC biscuits were actually eaten at galas and events back home. They were sold to raise money to support the war effort. At the time they were often called ‘soldier’s biscuits’.
The fundraising effort organised by the Patriotic Funds accumulated 6.5 million pounds to support New Zealand troops during the war!
In actual fact the biscuits our troops ate on the front lines paled in comparison to the classic Anzac biscuit. These lean ration biscuits, known as the No. 4 standard biscuit were rock hard, more like eating cardboard, and often full of weevils!
Common Anzac Biscuit ingredients
The common ingredients which tie all of the Anzac biscuit recipes together are rolled oats, coconut, butter and golden syrup.
Golden syrup may not be a pantry stable any longer. So feel free to swap out 1 for 1 with maple syrup, honey or rice malt syrup.
Like most old-styled biscuits, Anzac Biscuits never have eggs, as these were in short supply during war times. So these are great for people with an egg allergy.
Easy Anzac Biscuits Recipe
Anzac Biscuits Recipe - Crispy Oat Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup coconut
- 2/3 cup rolled oats
- pinch of salt
- 50 g melted butter
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 170c.
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Mix all of your dry ingredients together.
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Melt the butter and golden syrup together.
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Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in boiling water, and mix into the melted butter and golden syrup.
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Make a well in the centre of your dry ingredients, and mix in the wet mixture.
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Place spoonfuls onto a greased tray and flatten with a fork.
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Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. The biscuits will appear soft on cooking, but will harden up as they cool.
Recipe Notes
Anzac biscuits keep very well in an airtight container, and should last at least a week. These are best eaten slightly warm, with a tall glass of milk 🙂
Because I m a curious George, I did a bit of looking into what these biscuits actually have to do with Anzac Day and why they are called Anzac biscuits. It turns out that they weren t actually eaten on the front line but they were one of the different types of home baking made and sold at bake sales around NZ to raise money for the war efforts! The first time they were mentioned in a cookbook was in 1921 so these are pretty much the epitome of a Kiwi classic. Idon t actually know if Anzac biscuits can… Read more »
Love this comment, brilliant! We’ve included some of the detail about the real biscuits that were eaten on the frontlines in the recipe post. Aside from the weevils, I’m sure they still would have been welcomed on the frontlines, especially with a hot cup of tea! — Jarrod