Anzac Biscuits
When traveling around Australia and New Zealand, there’s a specific kind of snack that seems to pop up at every petrol station: Anzac biscuits! Anzac stands for “Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.” It is said that during World War I, these biscuits were sent by women’s groups to soldiers abroad. The lack of eggs in these biscuits made for a perfect shelf-stable treat. New Zealand is one of our family’s favorite travel destinations—this biscuit recipe brings back memories of driving from Queenstown to Milford Sound, snacking away as the hills filled with sheep go by.
Ingredients
yield: 16 cookies
- ¾ cup 100 g cassava flour
- 1 cup 99 g tiger nut flakes
- ¾ cup 141 g maple sugar
- ¾ cup 64 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup 114 g grass-fed butter
- 2 tbsp 30 ml pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp 30 ml boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Line two 13 x 18–inch (33 x 45–cm) baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cassava flour, tiger nut flakes, maple sugar, coconut and salt.
- Set the flour mixture aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and maple syrup.
- Warm the mixture, stirring it occasionally, until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbly.
- While the butter and maple syrup are warming, combine the baking soda and boiling water in a medium bowl and whisk them vigorously.
- The mixture should foam slightly.
- Once the butter and maple syrup are bubbling, add the baking soda-water mixture in a slow stream, whisking the butter-maple mixture constantly.
- The mixture should foam up once again.
- Add the butter-maple mixture to the flour mixture.
- Use a hand mixer to combine the two mixtures until there are no clumps.
- Firmly pack the biscuit dough into a 1½-tablespoon (23-g) cookie scoop.
- Then gently form the dough into a ball.
- Once the ball is formed, place it on one of the prepared baking sheets.
- Repeat this process with the remaining dough, spacing each biscuit about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes, until they are mostly flattened but still have an edge and they are golden.
- Let the biscuits cool until they are firm enough to handle.
- Store the biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
It’s important to use the fine-textured desiccated coconut and not the coarser shredded coconut. Otherwise, the cookies will flatten out too much.