The crunchiness of Anzac Biscuits goes back to the roots of when they were invented – by soldiers’ wives who needed a biscuit recipe that would stay fresh for the months that it would take to reach soldiers overseas back in the early 1900’s.
The warm sweetness from the golden syrup combined with the wholesome goodness of oats and coconut is a flavour that is unique to this crunchy Australian biscuit!
Anzac Biscuits
Australia’s favourite biscuit! We love them for their buttery caramel flavour, how crunchy they are, that it’s a forgiving recipe and the history – this is a biscuit that Aussies make to commemorate ANZAC Day.
“ANZAC” stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. And ANZAC Day – 25 April 1915 – is Australia’s most important national occasion each year, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War during which we suffered heavy casualties.
It is said that the wives of soldiers came up with the original Anzac Biscuits using ingredients such that the biscuits stayed fresh for the weeks it took to reach the soldiers overseas. I’m told that the original Anzac biscuits were as hard as a rock, so hard in fact that some soldiers would grind them up and use them as porridge.
I think Anzac biscuits as we know them today are much more to my liking! 😅
Here’s what you need (not much!)
Golden syrup
The only ingredient that might not be familiar to those outside of Australia and the UK is golden syrup. It’s an amber coloured syrup with the consistency of honey, and it has a toffee flavour. It has a bit of a harsh edge to the flavour so I only use it for baking, though some people use it in place of maple syrup for things like pancakes.
Best substitute for golden syrup is a combination of light molasses or treacle, plus honey. I use 1 part molasses or treacle, and 3 parts honey – the flavour is nearly identical, and the colour is very similar (a bit darker).
How to make Anzac biscuits
The making part is very straight forward – melt butter with golden syrup, add the baking soda then mix it into the dry ingredients. Roll into balls, flatten and bake!
Should Anzac biscuits chewy or crisp??
Apparently, the question of whether Anzac biscuits should be crisp or chewy is a topic of huge debate. 🤷🏻♀️
In my world, there’s no question. Anzac biscuits should be crispy, crispy, crispy!!! Just like the original created by the soldiers’ wives over a century ago! 🙂
But actually, if you want chewy it’s very simple – just reduce the bake time by a few minutes.
See? Anzac biscuits for all! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Anzac Biscuits (Golden Oatmeal Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup desiccated coconut , unsweetened
- 3/4 cup white sugar , preferably caster / superfine
- 150g / 5oz unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp golden syrup (Note 1)
- 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate soda)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan forced)
- Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
- Mix dry: Mix flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
- Melt butter and golden syrup: Place butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat and stir until butter has melted.
- Baking soda: Add baking soda and stir to combine – it will fizz up, this is normal. Immediately remove from heat.
- Biscuit dough – Pour butter mixture into flour and mix until just combined. The mixture will be crumbly but should stick when you press together.
- Form patties – Scrunch / press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into balls, then flatten into patties. (Thinner = crisper, thicker = chewier centre, crispy edges) Place balls, 2.5 cm/1" apart, on prepared trays.
- Bake for 15 minutes, swapping trays halfway during cooking, or until deep golden. (Bake 12 min for chewy biscuits!)
- Cool to crisp – Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool – they harden as they cool!
Recipe Notes:
- 1 tbsp light molasses + 3 tbsp honey or light corn syrup
- 1 tbsp treacle + 3 tbsp honey or light corn syrup
Nutrition Information:
Anzac biscuits originally published July 2014, refreshed in 2019 and 2020. Updated with new photos, new video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added! No change to recipe.
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This is the only Anzac biscuit recipe you will need. Totally moreish and super quick. Thanks Nagi 🙂
Agree!!!!!!
Can I make these without coconut?
I suppose you can, but I don’t recommend it because it is a crucial part in it. And it actually tastes good even if you don’t like coconut, be cautious I too don’t, but it tastes good just try it
I’m very interested in a no coconut option as well!
The Australian War Nemorisl website has the original recipe without coconut:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tbls golden syrup
2 tbls boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate soda (add a little more water if mixture is too dry)
Thank you so much for that lead Hanna! 🤗
Then go make some other oat-based recipe, because ANZACs have coconut in them …
Ouch! They were only asking a question.
Somehow I don’t think the Aussie and Kiwi wives had desiccated coconut in their kitchen pantries during WWI to add into their ANZAC biscuits…
Why not?
Some people are allergic to coconut and some just don’t like it.
They won’t be the same as ANZAC biscuits, as coconut adds to the crunchy texture as well as the flavour, but they’ll still be a nice buttery oat biscuit.
You’ll need to play around with the oat quantities to get it right.
Perhaps you could toast the extra oats you add in place of the coconut, to give them a more nutty flavour and stop them soaking up as much liquid as raw oats would.
Easy to make and tasted delicious. However, the nutritional information listed on the recipe is very misleading (19 gram per biscuit with 74 calories and 1.2 grams of fat, which is impossible with 150 gram butter in the recipe). When I calculated this for 16 biscuits per batch, each biscuit was 210 calories with 11.7 grams of fat. Hoping this can be updated
I just made a batch as I was tired on a,Thursday night. Its so easy and so tasty.
Yes it was crisp at the edges and chewier in the middle. I actually dislike commercial Anzac biscuits and only eat it when I bake it.
Hi Nagi … I absolutely love these. They are by far the best!!
I’ve made them a few times now, but this time I made them with shredded coconut and pressed peanuts into the top before cooking … they are even crunchier ☺️
Can I make these without the coconut
Simple to make
***Baked as is with no changes. Favourite for all
I made half a batch yesterday and they are gone! Delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Good ideas from Dianna L and Amber for alternate sweeteners. I used barley malt syrup and honey.
These were exactly the texture I wanted! I’m not a fan of the soft ones. Will definitely keep this recipe!!!
So easy to make and very delicious – I don’t think they are too sweet, they are just right! We made them with 1/2 caster and 1/2 packed brown sugar and tastes amazing
I’ve found date syrup to be a really useful substitute for golden syrup. It’s not as sweet and the colour is really rich. This is a great recipe. I’ve been using your recipes in my classroom with repeated success so thank you! 🙂
Hands down, these are the best ANZAC cookies I’ve had yet! I’ve made other recipes for them but I like yours the best! I never heard of them until I moved to New Zealand 9 years ago. But they have become a firm favorite in our house and are on the “cookie rotation” for my children.
I never thought I cared about Anzac biscuits. I made these with my daughter on Anzac Day last week and they were so easy and had barely any ingredients. I made them chewy so I cooked for 12 minutes as per Nagi’s directions. These are so freaking delicious and I think about them every day lately. Everyone loves them and I look forward to having one with a cuppa each day! These are going to be a staple in my house. 10/10 again Nagi!!
Love the texture, so delicious!!
Great recipe, no issues at all. Got devoured by kids and adults alike at our Anzac Day get together.
Thanks for writing the measurements in grams! I added diced dried apricots and fresh rosemary to my batch. Simply wonderful.
…then they’re not ANZAC biscuits.
We honour the memory of our fallen soldiers by making these historic biscuits without messing with them.
That sounds delicious!
A recipe is there as a guide, not to be followed religiously.
I had to make a little bit of extra butter/golden syrup/baking soda to get them to combine as they were quite crumbly, but other than that a super easy recipe.
Hi Nagi. I’ve made these a few times now and each time when they cook the biscuits flatten out & expand, joining together to make one supersize biscuit!! They still taste great but aesthetically they’re a mess! Is it because I make the balls too big? What am I doing wrong?
This just happened to me, and I think it’s because we didn’t have the dough dry enough, like it was too wet when we roll the balls out to flatten. Next time I’ll add extra flour for sure.
Hey Bel!
Yes you are more then likely making them too big, as well as putting too many together on the tray to cook! Make them a bit smaller and space them well apart.
Delicious! Loved these