No-Fail Anzac Biscuit Recipe----Anyone?

[soocool]

Ok, I got the golden syrup. I have been looking fo a good no fail anzac biscuit recipe. I found one from Martha Stewart, but some of the comments were that they were too sweet and tasted too much like basing soda.

So does anyone have a good recipe that is not too sweet and won't break your teeth the next day? Thanks in advance.

 

[Aoife]

Try this one:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/print/anzac-cookies-recipe.html

I like it much better than the other ones I've tried.

 

[JewelFreak]

What is an Anzac biscuit?

--- Laurie

 

[soocool]

Try this one:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/print/anzac-cookies-recipe.html

I like it much better than the other ones I've tried.

Thanks. I printed it out. The recipe I thought would be good is very similar to this one except it only uses the 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Do you think it would taste ok if I used only brone sugar? Oh, and should I use light brown or dark brown sugar?

 

[soocool]

What is an Anzac biscuit?

--- Laurie

The original Anzac biscuit was known as an Anzac wafer or tile and, along with beef bully, was part of the rations given to Australian and New Zealand soldiers during World War I. They were included instead of bread because they had a much longer shelf-life.

These biscuits were so hard they prompted a Lieutenant A L Dardel in 1915 to comment that "the man who can eat Gallipoli stodge (called bread) can eat anything... somebody will break his neck someday wandering round with his eyes shut and his teeth clenched on a biscuit trying to bite it through".

Many soldiers ground these biscuits into a type of porridge to make them more palatable.
The mothers, wives and girlfriends of Australian troops back home must've got wind of the terrible Anzac tiles and were reportedly concerned that their boys were not getting enough nutrients. Knowing that oats were a food of high nutritional value, these women used the recipe for Scottish oatcakes as a base and developed what we know of today as the Anzac biscuit.
Before being named Anzac biscuits, these biscuits were said to have been called soldier's biscuits.

Along with oats, the other ingredients - sugar, flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup and bi-carbonate of soda - were used because they would be able to withstand the long journey via ship that the biscuits had to make to reach the troops.
Eggs, a common binding agent in biscuits, were purposely not used because of the high likelihood that they would spoil before they reached Gallipoli or the Western Front.

In a study of the significance of Anzac biscuits by Sian Supski, the author concludes that the biscuits not only remind us of a time in Australian history that was seen as pivotal, but they also "signify women's input to the war effort on the home front".

 

[JewelFreak]

That's fascinating, Soocool! I expected a short little answer but learned a cool fact instead! Thanks. I assume they're yummy?? (As made now, of course.) Are they often eaten in your neck of the woods?

--- Laurie

 

[klewis]

We always called Golden Syrup, Cocky's Joy. Reading your post made me realize I had absolutely no idea why we called it that so then I had to find out what it meant. I discovered it was a reference to those farmers in Australia who struggled on farms that had more cockys (cockatoos ?) than cows - Cow Cockys - and they used Golden Syrup as an affordable substitute for honey - Cocky's Joy.

Here's another version from NZ with a couple of the baker's tips included at the end.


125g flour
1 cup coconut
100g butter
1/2 teaspoon Bicarb of Soda 150g sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon golden syrup (Cocky's Joy)
2 tablespoons boiling water
Mix together flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats. Melt butter and golden syrup.
Dissolve Bicarb soda in the boiling water and add to the butter and golden syrup.
Make a well in the centre of flour, stir in the liquid.
Place in spoonfuls on a greased tray.
Bake 15-20 mins at 180 degrees Celsius.

I think one top secret to making a really good Anzac biscuit, is to make sure that the golden syrup and butter mixture is quite hot when you add the baking soda so it’s really frothy.

The mixture is quite wet and will roll into balls really easy. Then just press them down a little (but not too much). Bake for about 15 minutes depending on how hot your oven is. I take mine out when they spring back from the touch – they are usually still quite soft but harden up once cold.

 

[Aoife]

Try this one:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/print/anzac-cookies-recipe.html

I like it much better than the other ones I've tried.

Thanks. I printed it out. The recipe I thought would be good is very similar to this one except it only uses the 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Do you think it would taste ok if I used only brone sugar? Oh, and should I use light brown or dark brown sugar?

I think you should be fine if you just used the brown sugar, and I don't think it would make much difference which kind. I always just use what I currently have on hand! Let me know how it turns out for you. Just make sure you don't overbake 'em!

 

[soocool]

That's fascinating, Soocool! I expected a short little answer but learned a cool fact instead! Thanks. I assume they're yummy?? (As made now, of course.) Are they often eaten in your neck of the woods?

--- Laurie

Not in my neck of the woods, in se Pa. My DD has an Australian project in which she is focusing on music... native and pop (I never knew the BeeGees were originally an Australian group!). I digress. In addition to her movie maker about Australian music she has to bring in a sampling of food from that area. She decided she wanted to make Anzac biscuits because of the history behind it.

 

[soocool]

We always called Golden Syrup, Cocky's Joy. Reading your post made me realize I had absolutely no idea why we called it that so then I had to find out what it meant. I discovered it was a reference to those farmers in Australia who struggled on farms that had more cockys (cockatoos ?) than cows - Cow Cockys - and they used Golden Syrup as an affordable substitute for honey - Cocky's Joy.

Here's another version from NZ with a couple of the baker's tips included at the end.


125g flour
1 cup coconut
100g butter
1/2 teaspoon Bicarb of Soda 150g sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon golden syrup (Cocky's Joy)
2 tablespoons boiling water
Mix together flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats. Melt butter and golden syrup.
Dissolve Bicarb soda in the boiling water and add to the butter and golden syrup.
Make a well in the centre of flour, stir in the liquid.
Place in spoonfuls on a greased tray.
Bake 15-20 mins at 180 degrees Celsius.

I think one top secret to making a really good Anzac biscuit, is to make sure that the golden syrup and butter mixture is quite hot when you add the baking soda so it’s really frothy.

The mixture is quite wet and will roll into balls really easy. Then just press them down a little (but not too much). Bake for about 15 minutes depending on how hot your oven is. I take mine out when they spring back from the touch – they are usually still quite soft but harden up once cold.

Wow that is interesting. I am passing this on to my DD as well. Thanks.

 

[VapidLapid]

She should see the nick roeg film, "Walkabout".