Anzac Biscuits

These Anzac biscuits are also from Belinda Jeffery's Mix and Bake. I find the book interesting, but slightly unreliable. Some of the recipes are good, and others are either difficult to convert or not to my taste. I tried a scone recipe that called for whole wheat self-rising flour and regular self-rising flour. I erred in my salt conversion and ended up with inedibly salty scones.

I'm pretty sure i'll keep the book in my collection though. It has an everyday simplicity to it. I think i'm pickier about cookbooks than the average person. My favorite baking books yield consistenly fantastic desserts, so I end up pruning anything mediocre from my collection.

I've had several requests for this recipe, so i've edited this post to include it. Try not to overbake these- they're much better when when they're a little chewy.

Anzac Biscuits
adapted from Belinda Jeffery's Mix and Bake

1 cup (90g) rolled oats
2/3 cup (50g) shredded coconut
1 cup (150g) plain flour
3/4 cup sugar
125g (about 9tbsp) unsalted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp boiling water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
whole blanched almonds (optional) for topping

1. Preheat your oven to 160C/320F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the oats, coconut, flour, and sugar.

2. Put the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan set over low heat and warm them, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the boiling water and baking soda and stir them in briefly- just be careful as the mixture froths up. Pour this buttery liquid into the oat mixture along with the vanilla extract. Quickly stir the two together until their thoroughly combined.

3. Roll the sticky dough into walnut sized balls (keep them small, they spread a lot) then flatten them slightly and sit them at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Press an almond, if using, on the top of each biscuit.

4. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until the biscuits are a deep golden brown but still soft, then remove them from the oven. Leave them to cool on the trays for a few minutes, then transfer them to racks to cool completely. They will keep well in an airtight container for up to one week.