I observed ANZAC Day on April 25th. It is a day of remembrance that marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australia and New Zealand in WWI. One tradition that comes with the holiday is the baking of ANZAC biscuits (or cookies). The story goes that the women at home would send biscuits to soldiers abroad, although the original version of the ANZAC biscuit was less sweet and chewy, and more rock hard to withstand travel.
The version that my mum (mom) used to make contained oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup (like treacle) and coconut. This year, I decided to come up with a healthier version of the ANZAC biscuit so I could share the tradition with my American family.
These biscuits are most definitely a treat to be enjoyed in moderation, but are have far more nutritional value than the ones I grew up eating. The oats give these cookies a chewy texture, but you could leave them out and use 1 cup almond meal, ½ cup chopped almonds and 1 cup coconut. These biscuits are not an exact science- I didn’t have a measuring cup when I made them so the quantities are estimates, but they still turned out great. As there is no egg in this recipe, you can taste the uncooked batter for sweetness and adjust to suit your own tastes.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups gluten free rolled oats
½ cup blanched, chopped almonds
½ cup shredded or desiccated unsweetened coconut
2 ½ tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp water
Pinch of sea salt
Method
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Place oats, almonds and coconut in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add oil, honey, vanilla and sea salt and process until combined, 10-20 seconds.
- Add water and process again. If mixture is too crumbly, add another splash of water to help it hold together.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. The dough will be sticky, it will not easily roll into balls. Use a spoon to form 12 cookies and flatten each one with wet hands. They will spread when baking slightly, so leave an inch between them.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely before moving. Enjoy!
