New Zealand Anzac Biscuits
Golden oat-and-coconut biscuits made with golden syrup and no eggs.
Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 32 min · Total: 1 hr 20 min · 20 servings
Ingredients
- 100 g rolled oats
- 120 g plain wheat flour
- 80 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 60 g golden syrup
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 0.3 tsp fine salt
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 30 ml freshly boiled drinking water
Instructions
Measure and heat the oven
Line two baking trays with baking paper and preheat the oven to 170°C conventional (150°C fan). Put a rack in the centre. Measure 100 g rolled oats, 120 g plain wheat flour, 80 g unsweetened desiccated coconut, 100 g sugar, ¼ tsp fine salt, 100 g unsalted butter, 60 g golden syrup, ½ tsp baking soda and 30 ml boiling water. Keep the soda and water separate until the butter has melted.
Combine oats, flour, coconut, and sugar
Stir rolled oats (100 g), plain wheat flour (120 g), unsweetened desiccated coconut (80 g), fine salt (0.25 tsp), granulated sugar (100 g) in a large bowl for 30 seconds, breaking up every lump. The coconut and oats should be distributed evenly before liquid is added.
Melt the butter and syrup gently
Melt 100 g unsalted butter with 60 g golden syrup in a small saucepan over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring until smooth. Do not boil; take the pan off the heat.
Melt the butter and syrup gently: 120 seconds
Dissolve the baking soda safely
Put baking soda (0.5 tsp) in a heatproof cup and carefully add freshly boiled drinking water (30 ml); it will foam. Stir with a long spoon, then immediately stir the foaming liquid into the warm butter mixture. Keep your face and hands away from the steam.
Make a cohesive oat dough
Pour the warm butter-and-soda mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until no dry patches remain. Rest the dough for 5 minutes to let the oats absorb moisture. It should clump when pressed; press the warm mixture together rather than adding unlisted water.
Make a cohesive oat dough: 300 seconds
Portion twenty even biscuits
Divide the dough into 20 portions of about 30 g each. Place on the lined trays, about 5 cm apart, and flatten each to roughly 1 cm thick. Press loose edges together so the biscuits hold their shape.
Bake to the chosen crispness
Bake one tray at a time for 12–16 minutes at 170°C conventional (150°C fan). For chewy centres, remove when the edges are golden and the middle is just set; for crisp biscuits, bake until evenly deeper golden. Rotate the tray if it colours unevenly. The time applies to each tray, not both trays together.
Golden edges and a set, slightly soft centre for chewy biscuits; evenly deeper golden for crisp biscuits. They firm as they cool.
Bake to the chosen crispness: 720 seconds
Let the biscuits firm before moving
Leave on the tray for 8 minutes; they are fragile straight from the oven. Transfer with a flat spatula to a wire rack and cool for at least 25 minutes. The final texture develops as the syrup and butter cool.
Let the biscuits firm before moving: 1500 seconds
Tips
- Bake one tray at a time and judge colour before removing; biscuits firm further as they cool. Contains wheat/gluten, milk and coconut; no egg is used.
Common mistakes
- Do not portion 25 g pieces from this batch: the listed ingredients make roughly 590 g, or about 20 pieces of 30 g.
Substitutions
- Golden syrup gives the characteristic flavour and chew; another syrup changes the result and should be treated as a variation.
Storage
Cool completely, then store unfilled biscuits in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 5 days. Discard if damp or mouldy.
Reheating
Serve at room temperature; reheating is unnecessary.
About this recipe
Anzac biscuits are shared New Zealand and Australian oat biscuits associated with Anzac remembrance. Despite a popular story, the biscuits were not sent to troops in the First World War; they were sold at fundraising events.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.