Easy ANZAC Biscuits in less than 30 minutes

If you’re looking for an easy ANZAC Biscuit recipe, this is mine. It’s the same one I used when I was a child and is probably the same one (or similar) used back in the days of World War I. This is my easy ANZAC Biscuits in less than 30 minutes recipe.

Today is ANZAC Day, a day all Australians (and New Zealanders) commemorate the day the ANZAC soldiers landed on the beach at Gallipoli, Turkey in 1915 and remember the fallen soldiers (and still serving soldiers) in all conflicts since. We have a day off from school and work and every town and city in Australia marks the occasion with a dawn service at an ANZAC Memorial and a morning march.

 

Everybody usually makes Anzac Biscuits for ANZAC Day (or any time of the year really).  They’re so easy to make and it was thought the women back home baked these biscuits for the soldiers overseas during World War I as they traveled and kept well.

I’m all out of rolled oats so we won’t be making them tomorrow. The above photo is from a previous time I made them. The kids enjoy making them (and eating them). The kids have had their fair share of sweet things for a while. The following is the recipe I use all the time, from my high school Home Economics text book “Day to Day Cookery”.

Anzac Biscuits

1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup sugar
140g butter
3 tsp golden syrup
3 tbs boiling water
1 tsp baking soda

Mix dry ingredients. Melt butter in saucepan, add syrup and water. Add baking soda, allow to foam and pour into dry ingredients. Mix well and drop spoonfuls onto baking tray. Allow room for spreading. Bake in a 160 deg C oven until golden brown.

The Ode of Remembrance

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

 

Lest we forget.

 

 

ANZAC Cupcakes (or Golden Syrup & Oat Cupcakes)

I know, I know. I’m nearly a week late. ANZAC Day, Australia’s national day of remembering our past and present military personnel since World War I was on Thursday, 25th April and I really had intended on making ANZAC biscuits but we just got too busy. When I was discussing the possibility of making some ANZAC biscuits, my son suggested we make an ANZAC cake. Really? What did he know? He’s only 6. He explained in great detail that we could have a nice soft cake with coconut and golden syrup and iced with icing and coconut. Sounded pretty good to me.

This was my basic No Fuss Fudge Cake recipe. You know the no fail, no fuss recipe I use for just about every cake. I added 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 cup of coconut and 1/4 cup of golden syrup (you could use maple syrup or honey if you don’t have golden syrup). I iced with a simple buttercream which had a tablespoon of golden syrup added. AND I finally got around to trying a quick way to ice cupcakes. I used a small ‘melon ball’ sized ice cream scoop to scoop out the icing, ‘blob’ (that’s a new technical term) it on to the centre top of the cupcake and press http://myuda.com/profile/Brobby/ down into the coconut which is in a small bowl. I then just spread by lightly pressing down on the icing with a knife. Turned out perfectly round on the cupcake.

These weren’t so ‘cake like’ but more ‘muffin like’ because of the oats but ‘delicious’ (as judged by the boy) nonetheless. I’m sorry I’m late but I guess we all make ANZAC biscuits all year round. I reckon we could make these anytime of the year too.

ANZAC Cupcakes (or Golden Syrup & Oat Cupcakes)

• 1 and half cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup golden syrup
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 6 tablespoons oil (I use canola)
• 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
• half teaspoon salt

Golden Syrup icing:

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tbs butter, softened
• 1 tbs golden syrup
• milk (approx 1 tbs at a time until a stiff, spreadable consistency)
• Coconut to sprinkle

1. Turn oven to 180 C (375 F). 
2. Mix the flour, coconut, oats, sugar and water in a bowl. 
3. Add golden syrup, vanilla, vinegar, oil, baking soda and salt. 
4. Mix with beaters until smooth. (Mixture is runny.) 
5. Pour into cupcake papers. Bake approx 20 minutes. 
6. Ice when cooled. 
7. Mix all ingredients together for icing and sprinkle with coconut.