This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe from Dorie’s Cookies is a special one for me. First of all, it’s ANZAC biscuits, like possibly my favorite ever biscuit (cookie). Second of all, I get a shoutout in the headnote of this recipe (because when the one and only Dorie emails you asking for your ANZAC biscuit recipe for her new book, you hop right on that!). So cool! My name in print!
What’s ANZAC Day, I hear you ask…
April 25th commemorates The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landing on the shores of Gallipoli in World War 1. Every year, ANZAC Day is day of remembrance where Australians and New Zealanders honour the memory of those who have served and died in all military operations.
Though the ANZAC biscuit does have a wartime association, it’s origins can actually be can be traced back to Scotland’s famous oat cakes. During World War I, mothers, wives and girlfriends would send food care packages to men serving in the war, concerned for their nutritional welfare. The problem was the ships carrying the packages would sometimes take over two months to arrive, so any food had to be edible after that long without refrigeration. The ANZAC biscuit only contains a few ingredients, none of which spoil quickly (no eggs).
During the war, eggs were scarce, so the binding agent is the golden syrup (I’ve successfully used sweet brown rice syrup at a pinch). The biscuits were packed in tins such as airtight tea tins and were dubbed ANZAC biscuits after the landing at Gallipoli. ANZAC biscuits are one of the few products able to be legally marketed in Australia using the word ANZAC which is protected by Federal Legislation
I’ve posted about ANZAC biscuits before (here and here) and am truly excited that there’s a recipe for them in Dorie’s Cookies. ANZAC biscuits for everyone!
Dorie’s version of my recipe uses sweetened coconut (I use unsweetened) and cuts down on the sugar by half (because, really, a whole cup was kinda a lot LOL!). And the result? Mr Neil says these were the best version yet (he’s eaten a lot!). Harrumph. Just kidding. Kinda sorta.
To make these biscuits, you’ll need Lyle’s Golden Syrup and a cookie scoop (invaluable to make sure your cookies are the same size and cook evenly – so none are too crunchy or too soft!).
Get the recipe for Dorie’s ANZAC biscuits on p 159 of Dorie’s Cookies. Get MY recipe for ANZAC biscuits here.
Want more cookie recipes? Order Dorie’s Cookies for yourself on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store in your country) or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Then join us over on Tuesdays with Dorie and bake your way through the book!
Please note: This post contains product links from Amazon and The Book Depository which are affiliate links, meaning if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you) which goes towards maintaining eat. live. travel. write. Thank you in advance!
Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Dorie’s Cookies” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing do. All opinions 100% my own.
Congratulations! When I am back in the States and have a real kitchen I will have to bake up a batch! xo
Let me know how you like them!
Well now, in all fairness, these are also the most RECENT ANZAC biccies, so that might be swaying my judgment somewhat.
Maybe you and Dorie can have a bake-off in Nerac sometime. I’ll sit on the terrace with my rose, ready to judge the four or five iterations. 😉
Sounds like a plan!
i think it’s so cool that you helped with this recipe and got headnote cred! we loved these Anzac biscuits and they made us think of our time in sydney.
SUCH a fan of these biscuits!
I love that you shared the history!!
But of course!
It was nice reading about you in Dorie’s cookbook. These were delicious.
🙂