I always like to have something sweet in the cupboard. You never know when you'll get a snack attack. I particularly have a sweet tooth. As I'm writing this I'm making my way through a box of Belgian chocolates that we got as a 'thank you' present from a friend. Don't judge me, I'm going to the gym tomorrow.
Sometimes I like a little something sweet after dinner but sometimes I can go days without a hit... very strange. When I lived in community we had a cupboard that was always stocked with crisps, chocolate, things we bought on a whim, presents we got from abroad; all kinds of treats. Now I'm trying to cut back - by default that means both of us are. So I haven't bought any crisps or chocolate for a long time but sometimes they appear in the cupboard. I don't know how that happens.
The other day I was really craving something sweet. I mean I really badly wanted a big sugary biscuit to dunk into my tea. So I thought, "I won't go to the shop round the corner and get a packet of double chocolate chip cookies to satisfy my craving". No, no, no, I made biscuits. But not just any biscuits. I made ANZAC biscuits.
These little gems come complete with history. So, during the war, the Australia/New Zealand troops' wives/mothers/girlfriends wanted to send them something that wouldn't spoil. So they made these biscuits - they are durable and will not go off for months (golden syrup will do that for you). Having said that, I made mine with honey instead, I felt a bit guilty putting the syrup in (I also only had honey in the cupboard so...). I did not come up with this recipe. It travelled through the interweb from the other side of the world. The Mr.'s mum very kindly sent me the recipe. So here you go.
Anna's ANZAC Biscuits
50g plain flour
75g white or caster sugar
2/3 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup rolled oats
50g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup or honey
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp boiling water
Mix the flour, sugar, coconut and oats in a bowl. Melt together the butter and syrup until well combined but do not burn or boil.
Take the pot off the heat and add the bocarbonate of soda and the boiling water. Mix them together then add them to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together untill it's well combined.
Preheat an oven to 150 degrees C. With your hands, mould the mixture into ping pong ball sized balls and place on a greased baking tray. Once the tray is full, press the biscuits gently down with a fork.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Let them cool on the sheet on a wire rack before you get stuck in. They should be completely cool before you store them. Any biscuit or cake tin will do the trick.