WhatWas - ANZAC Buscuits - What To Do Geelong

As ANZAC day comes around again people pull out their ANZAC day buscuits recipes but do you know the history? It might not be exactly what you think…

The shops all have their ANZAC buscuits on display and families are cooking away as the tradition of enjoy the delicious treat is used as a relief to the somberness of the day and all it represents.

But the buscuits we all call ANZAC buscuits – the sweet buscuit made from rolled outs and golden syrup- weren’t the Anzac buscuits the troops ate at the front. Those buscuits that our troops had in their rations were known as Anzac tiles or Anzac wafer biscuits were rather unpalatable objects, the hardtack biscuits were a nutritional substitute for bread, but unlike bread they do not go mouldy. And also unlike bread, they are very, very hard.

They were so hard they could be and were used to write notes home inleu of paper.

It has been claimed oat biscuits were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation and these were also made for markets and fairs to raise money for troops and these became the ANZAC buscuits we know now. Making Anzac biscuits is one tradition that Australians use to commemorate Anzac day. Everyone has their favourite recipe and there are countless arguments over whether they should be served crunchy or soft…

Don’t forget to make yours this year!

Anzac biscuits recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
150g unsalted butter, chopped
2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle
1 1/2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

METHOD
Step 1
Preheat oven to 170C. Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Step 2
In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat.
Step 3
Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly.
Step 4
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.