From the 1940s divider · Make do and mend
Anzac Biscuits
Chewy oat and coconut biscuits made without a single egg. Wartime baking at its most resourceful.
- Prep10 mins
- Cook12 mins
- Serves20
- DifficultyEasy
Photo: tristanf, CC BY 2.0 · Photo: amandabhslater, CC BY-SA 2.0
From the tin
Anzac biscuits are named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps of the First World War. They use no eggs, which were scarce, and golden syrup instead, so they stayed popular through the rationing of the 1940s. Oats and coconut kept them filling, and they keep for weeks in a tin.
Anzac BiscuitsServes 20 · 1940s
You'll need
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. Line two baking trays.
- Mix the oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a large bowl.
- Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a pan.
- Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the boiling water and stir it into the butter. It will froth up.
- Pour the frothy butter into the dry ingredients and stir well.
- Drop heaped dessertspoons onto the trays, leaving room to spread, and flatten slightly.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Cool on the trays for a few minutes before moving.
