Last week was Anzac Day in Australia, and as we often do, we baked some Anzac biscuits. Actually we're quite obsessed with Anzac biscuits, and will happily eat commercially made biscuits all year round (some Woolies and Coles make vegan Anzac bikkies - in fact the Woolies near Brunswick Station has vegan Anzac biscuits in a normal size, and then non-vegan mini Anzacs).
Please note that by law, Anzac biscuits have to be referred to as biscuits. They're not allowed to be called cookies. There's also a specific list of ingredients, Anzac biscuits aren't allowed to have things added in, like sultanas. That makes them not Anzacs!
My favourite piece of the policy is this bit:
It should be noted that approvals for the word 'Anzac' to be used on biscuit products have been given provided that the product generally conforms to the traditional recipe and shape, is not advertised in any way that would play on Australia's military heritage, and is not used in association with the word 'cookies', with its non-Australian overtones. For instance, an application for Anzac biscuits dipped in chocolate would not be approved as they would not conform with the traditional recipe.It's so strictly policed that Subway in Australia had to drop Anzac biscuits from their menu, because they couldn't make them close enough to the required ingredients.
So here is a legally allowed recipe! We got it from Deborah at Larvatus Prodeo, who got it from her mum. I reproduce it here now so I can access it all the time - this recipe worked out just great and now we have plans to bake as often as possible, because we love Anzac biscuits.
Also my sister makes a pretty awesome Anzac biscuit, the recipe which I will get from her one day. (hint)
Anzac Biscuits
originally posted by Deborah at Larvatus Prodeo
ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup of sugar
1 cup rolled oats
125g nuttelex
large tablespoon golden syrup
1 tsp bicarb
2 tsp boiling water
method
Combine flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a large bowl. Melt together the nuttelex and the golden syrup - I did this by melting the nuttelex in the microwave, and mixing in the golden syrup. Dissolve the bicarb in the water, and when it has finished, mix it into the nuttelex and golden syrup. Now mix everything together! You may end up using your hands (I often do).
Deborah suggests dividing these out into approximately teaspoon sized balls, then squishing them down. But I am a big fan of larger Anzacs, so I suggest some large tablespoon (OR EVEN BIGGER) balls, then squishing them down.
Then bake them at 180C for about ten minutes. Let them sit for five before transferring to a cooling rack (this exercise really reminded me that I require a second of these). Store in an airtight container, unless you like your Anzacs soggy. Also don't store them in a container with some spare muffins, again, unless you like your Anzacs soggy.
EAT THEM.
not the right temperature
9 comments:
Yay! You've reminded me that I definitely need to make some Anzac biscuits post haste.
I had no idea about the fierce regs around the use of the term! Awesome.
How odd that there are so many rules around them! I agree that they are very delicious & they are super quick & easy to make which pretty much makes them a perfect food.
I've made Anzac Biscuits to go into the book I'm writing. Reading all these rules has had me changing the name and introduction! Don't want to run foul of the Australian Government!
I totally thought you were joking about that "not allowed to be used with the word 'cookies'" stuff -- and then I looked at the DVA website! ANZAC BISCUITS ARE SRS BZNS.
I don't think I even knew there was such a thing as an 'Anzac slice'. But that said, I've never been a massive fan of Anzac-related food items. Sultanas make everything so much tastier, come on!
Yum! I never realised Aussies took their Anzac bickies seriously enough to enshrine them in law. Wow. I have tried making Anzac biscuits a few times and am often very unsuccessful. I either end up with very runny dough which goes flat and bleh, or crumbly biscuits. I'll have to give this recipe a try. Or maybe it just won't work for me because I'm american and there is an unwritten natural order or something.
I made ANZAC biscuits this year and I, gasp, used brown rice syrup! It's because I hate golden syrup. I am sorry, but it's just yuck. It's like corn syrup, and I don't like that either. So I guess I was breaking the law! What a rebel. Lots of Aussies ate them though and loved them.
Anyway, my point of writing a comment wasn't my biscuit making, it was that they were selling Anzac COOKIES at Woolies or Coles or whatever. Some guy behind me in line was grumbling and complaining about it, which of course made me want to open my big fat American mouth. But I didn't. Because I've learned that no one likes us or our cookies ;-)
But seriously. I think that the law isn't being followed. Because I've seen Anzac cookies every year. And I've also seen them made outside the traditional recipe...but I think the fact that they have such a law is craziness!
Anzac bikkies are VERY SERIOUS BZNS. I mean, delicious, but SRS BZNS.
Theresa, give this recipe a go! Maybe it will work for you?!
Sarah, that is sounding pretty naughty! ;oP That's very interesting to know about Coles + Woolies - I know that in casual speech I often say 'anzac cookies' instead of biscuits (I think just because I have become so used to referring to things as cookies). But maybe the law is being followed sometimes and not other times? interesting.
Even though I've never tasted "authentic" Anzacs, I'd say I'm pretty obsessed, too (as I am with all things antipodean!). ;) I'm pretty sure my biscuits wouldn't meet the stringent gov't standards (can't get golden syrup here), but I had fun with my blog post, anyway! And yours look so enticing, I wish I could try one!
Hope you had a lovely Anzac Day :)
Ah Ricki, they all taste the same in the end! :o)
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