Anzac biscuits
Anzac biscuits sits in our baking collection for weekend baking sessions and school-lunch tin fillers. We keep the voice practical — what to buy, what heat to use, and how to tell when it is done. Serves 16–18 biscuits with about 15 min prep and 15 min cook time (around 30 min total). That is a home estimate — ovens and pans vary, so use colour and texture as well as the clock. Shop first for plain flour, rolled oats and unsweetened desiccated coconut; those ingredients do the heavy lifting for flavour and texture, while the rest of the list seasons, binds, or finishes the plate. Use it for weekend baking sessions and school-lunch tin fillers, then cool on a rack, then slice or pack once firm. One tray or tin as written — freeze extras in airtight bags. Metric spoons here mean a 20 ml tablespoon and a 5 ml teaspoon. Everything on this page is metric-first for Australia. If you are converting from cups on an old card, weigh flour, sugar, and butter whenever the ingredient line shows grams.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line 2 trays with baking paper.
- Mix flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
- Melt butter and golden syrup over medium-high heat. Stir in bicarb (it will fizz), then take off the heat.
- Pour into the dry mix and stir until it just comes together — crumbly but pressable.
- Press 1 tbsp portions into balls, flatten into patties, space 2.5 cm apart.
- Bake 15 minutes (swap trays halfway) until deep golden, or 12 minutes for chewier biscuits. Cool on trays 5 minutes, then on a rack — they crisp as they cool.
Tip: Thinner patties bake crisper. If dough is too dry add a little melted butter; if sticky add flour. Golden syrup is the flavour — treacle plus honey is the usual substitute.
Notes
- From our tested tip, expanded: Thinner patties bake crisper. If dough is too dry add a little melted butter; if sticky add flour. Golden syrup is the flavour — treacle plus honey is the usual substitute. Treat that as the non-negotiable. If something still feels off — too wet, too pale, too tight — adjust one variable at a time (heat, liquid, or bake time) rather than changing three things at once.
- Before the heat goes on, line up plain flour, rolled oats and unsweetened desiccated coconut and anything perishable from the list. Soften butter, bring eggs off the fridge if the method needs them room-temp, and preheat so you are not waiting mid-recipe. For a baking cook of this size (16–18 biscuits), a clear bench saves more time than any gadget.
- Heat and timing: the method calls for 180°C. Fan-forced ovens run hotter and dry things faster — if your oven runs hot, check a few minutes early. Tray position matters: middle rack for even colour unless the recipe says otherwise. If you open the door a lot, add a minute or two back on.
- Putting it together for Anzac biscuits: work clean, taste as you go, and do not rush browning or reduction steps if they appear in the method. If you are cooking for mixed diets, plate sauces and toppings separately where practical. Keep this page bookmarked if it becomes a household regular — we update wording when cooks report a confusing step. Metric consistency across Scoops & Dishes means once you trust the cups and scales here, breakfast through dessert behaves the same way.