ANZAC Slice | Super Easy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes Anzac biscuits crunchy or chewy? ›

To make your biscuits extra crispy try cooking them on a lower temperature for a few minutes longer or, add an extra teaspoon of boiling water to your biscuit mix. For a chewier texture, add a little more golden syrup (just pull back on the sugar to adjust the overall sweetness) and bake them slightly less in the oven.

But watch for crumbling or "melting": "If your biscuits are falling apart, then you have added too much of the wet ingredients, or potentially too much sugar," Quinn says. The marine biologist-turned-cook advises leaving the biscuits on the baking tray as they cool, then giving them a day or two to "chewify".

If you under bake these, they'll be soft; if you over bake, they'll become a little harder, although they shouldn't become like rocks, as they'd burn first. I'm sure you'd notice that! ??? If your Anzacs spread, your butter was too warm. Chill them for at least 30 minutes before baking, and this should help.

The story of the Anzac biscuit

Originally, the Anzac biscuit was designed to travel well over several weeks at sea, so the recipe didn't feature eggs, golden syrup or coconut. Their incredibly tough consistency and savoury taste meant that they were purely a source of sustenance and not particularly enjoyable.

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).

Australians are divided over how Anzac biscuits should be served, with an overwhelming majority preferring them soft but a vocal minority in support of a crunchy consistency.

Baking soda or bicarb soda is the main raising agent in Anzac biscuits - it is added to the wet ingredients before being mixed into the dry ingredients.

Don't let the mixture stand around.

So, make sure you roll and bake the mixture as soon as possible after mixing to make rolling and flattening of the biscuits easy. If it does get a little dry you can just mix in another tablespoon or two of water to help make it a little more pliable before shaping.

“Referring to these products as 'Anzac Cookies' is generally not approved, due to the non-Australian overtones,” the guidelines state. The Department says on its website: “No person may use the word Anzac, or any word resembling it in connection with any trade, business, calling or profession.”

Texture - The biscuit dough has to be just right. If while mixing, you feel that the dough is too dry and crumbly and you are not able to shape it into rounds, add more liquid (this can be either in the form of a tablespoon of melted butter or just a tablespoon of boiling water).

Why are Anzac biscuits called Anzac? ›

“The first Anzac biscuit was created after 1915 when the word Anzac [Australian and New Zealand Army Corps] came into being. “Prior to 1915, there were many biscuit recipes baked at home that were precursors to it such as munchies, rolled oat biscuits, surprise biscuits, nutties, brownies, crispies to name but a few.”

Anzac biscuits are called Anzac biscuits because the acronym ANZAC stands for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps." The biscuits were named after the soldiers who fought in World War I and are still popular today as a symbol of remembrance.

The majority of rolled oats biscuits were in fact sold and consumed at fetes, galas, parades and other public events at home, to raise funds for the war effort. This connection to the troops serving overseas led to them being referred to as “soldier's biscuits”.

The traditional Anzac bikkie is usually a simple mixture of flour, oats, golden syrup, dessicated coconut, sugar, butter and bicarbonate of soda. The original recipe, like most historical recipes, is a little harder to pin down.

Ms Reynolds has traced the first printed 'Anzac biscuit' recipe to a 1917 Australian publication called the War Chest Cookery Book. However, whilst this recipe used the famous biscuit title, it didn't resemble the recipe as we know it today.

Cookies that are dense and chewy incorporate more moisture into the batter. This can be achieved by making substitutions with wet and dry ingredients, or even just changing the way you incorporate certain ingredients. Plus, your particular baking technique and your method of storing cookies can also play a role.

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

Overbaking: Biscuits can become dry and hard if they are overbaked. Follow the baking instructions on the store-bought mix and be sure to check the biscuits a few min.