ANZAC biscuits - an ideal treat for picnics

The wives and mothers of Australian soldiers first came up with the recipe for these biscuits during World War 1. The original ingredients were chosen because they didn’t spoil and didn’t need refrigeration: this means the biscuits are particularly good for picnics.

1½ cups traditional rolled oats, 1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour, 2/3 cup brown sugar, ¾ cup desiccated coconut, 1 cup golden syrup, 125g   butter, 1 tsp bicarbonate of (baking) soda, 2 tbsp boiling water.
Preheat oven to 160°C.

Place the oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl and mix to combine. Place the golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until melted. Combine the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter mixture. Pour into the oat mixture and mix well to combine.

Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and flatten to 7cm rounds, allowing room to spread. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until deep golden. Allow to cool on baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

ANZAC DAY 

ANZAC Day Dawn Service, Sydney

April 25th marks the day on which Australians come together to commemorate all men and women who fought for the country since the First World War –  it is the anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in 1915. This year also marks 102 years since the first Sydney commemoration of ANZAC.