Description
Buttery, coconutty, caramelly, chewy and crispy Anzac biscuits are a New Zealand and Australian classic. This version, using brown butter, delicate spices and dipped in rich dark chocolate is an elevated twist on a delicious favourite. Plus, they take just 25 minutes, use no eggs and no special equipment.
If you’d like cup measurements, just click ‘US’ under the ‘Units’ section below.
Ingredients
For the Anzac biscuits –
- 150g plain flour
- 150g rolled/porridge oats
- 50g desiccated coconut
- 120g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 160g butter
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup (or use maple syrup or honey)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping –
- 100g dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut (optional)
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients. Heat oven to 160C/320F fan. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Add 150g flour, 150g oats, 50g desiccated coconut, 120g brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix the ingredients together well.
- Brown the butter. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of warm water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Set a large pot over medium heat, then add 160g of diced butter. Use a spoon or spatula to stir as the butter melts, then keep it over the heat, stirring, as it starts to foam up and smell lovely and nutty. At this point, remove the pan from the heat.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of golden syrup and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the brown butter and stir to combine. Then, pour in the water/baking soda mixture. Be careful as the butter may bubble up when the baking soda is added.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the brown butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, then mix to combine into a thick dough. Use an ice cream scoop or a large dessert spoon to scoop up a heaped tablespoon of the mixture, then roll it into a ball in your hands. Place on the prepared tray, then repeat with the rest of the mixture, making sure to leave a couple of inches between each ball.
- Bake the Anzac biscuits. Transfer the trays to the oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until the biscuits look golden brown. PRO TIP: Anzac biscuits tend to spread out in the oven (which is why it’s important to leave space in between them). If you have time to pop the trays into the fridge to chill for at least 15 minutes before you bake them, I recommend it.
- Dip the biscuits in chocolate. Once the biscuits look golden brown, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 20-second blasts, stirring in between, until melted. Dunk the front half of your biscuit into the melted chocolate, spooning over more if needed to create a smooth, thin layer. Set it back on the tray, and repeat with the rest of the biscuits. Scatter a little extra coconut on top if you like, or some flaky sea salt. Leave to set, then enjoy!
Notes
HOW TO GET PERFECTLY ROUND BISCUITS: If you have a large cookie cutter (or just use a glass), you can use it to ‘scoot’ the biscuits into perfect circles right after they come out of the oven. Just place the cutter around the biscuit and shimmy it around the cutter. As you do this, it will shape itself into a circle (the biscuit is still quite soft as it comes out of the oven – it’ll harden up as it cools).
INGREDIENT NOTES: Golden syrup can be a little tricky to come by in certain countries. If you can’t find it, you can use maple syrup or honey.
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can play around with the spices here – if you don’t have cardamom, just leave it out. You could also use milk or white chocolate, rather than dark chocolate if you like. Instead of dunking the biscuits in chocolate, you can mix the chocolate into the dough to make chocolate chip Anzac biscuits. Just chop the chocolate well before adding it to the mixed dough and giving it a quick mix to combine. Baking time is the same.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: They’ll last for at least 1 week, stored at room temperature in a sealed container.
- Prep Time: 12
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: baking
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: new zealand
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 16.1g
- Sodium: 360.8mg
- Fat: 25.2g
- Saturated Fat: 16.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34.3g
- Fiber: 3.1g
- Protein: 3.6g
- Cholesterol: 49.8mg
Keywords: anzac cookies, oat cookies