Anzac Biscuits

 5 May 2021

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, January 2021

These oatmeal cookies were developed around the time of World War I for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). They include one ingredient that is not common in American supermarkets and which I had to buy online: golden syrup. It was suggested that I substitute light corn syrup but I wanted to taste these with the genuine caramel flavor that the golden syrup provides. 

All-purpose flour was whisked together with sugar and salt. Rolled oats and sweetened flaked coconut were stirred into the flour mixture. Butter and the golden syrup, which has a consistency like honey at room temperature, were heated in a sauce pan until the mixture began to bubble. Off heat, a mixture of baking soda and hot water was stirred into the golden syrup mixture causing it to foam and bubble. The flour mixture was added and stirred to combine. (Making cookie dough in a sauce pan is a novel feature of this recipe.) The recipe specifies use of a #40 portioning scoop to create 24 balls of dough on two sheet pans. Not having a #40 scoop I used a #30 but didn't fill it all the way. Each ball was flattened into a 2-inch disk with a fork before baking the biscuits at 350°. Total time was 55 minutes, consistent with my 1-hour rule-of-thumb for the time needed to make a batch of cookies.

These are good cookies, errrr, biscuits. When fresh they have a crispy edge and a very chewy center with a rich caramel flavor which complements the coconut and oat pieces. Their orange-ish color is unlike any other biscuits that I have made. I plan to make these again, at least until I have used up my supply of Lyle's golden syrup. We'll see, then, if I decide to buy more golden syrup to make even more.