Seed-studded Anzac Biscuits

The name of these tasty little cookies originates in Australia/New Zealand. In fact, ANZAC stands for “Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.” On April 25th, citizens of AUS & NZ honor the soldiers who died in the conflict at Gallipoli, Turkey. Research tells us that these cookies were shipped to soldiers because they travel well and don’t spoil easily.

I happened upon a recipe from Nigella Lawson for these biscuits (which are really like oatmeal cookies that have been kicked up a notch) and since they have almost all of the flavors I love in a cookie, decided to give them a try. The only thing I left out was the coconut — not because I don’t like coconut, but because I didn’t have any in my pantry and didn’t feel like running to the store. Next time, definitely coconut! And based on a friend’s suggestion, possibly a quick half-dip of melted chocolate. I did throw in a handful of raisins to add another texture. Other than that, these little treats are perfect for so many reasons:

1. easy to make
2. no electric mixer required
3. wonderfully chewy texture
4. as mentioned above, they keep well and travel well (throw them in your backpack for a hike, or ship them to a well-deserving friend)
5. nice lunch bag addition or for the 3pm slump
6. not overly sweet
7. chock full of good things like oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds
8. great with a cup of coffee or tea
9. nice historical connection
10. um, do you really need another reason to bake these?!

Enjoy! 

PS: looking for organic raisins for this recipe (or any others)? Check out these Organic Monukka Raisins at Superedibles.com 

Seed-studded Anzac Biscuits 

Adapted from Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:

7 TB soft unsalted butter

1/2 C soft light brown sugar

2 TB golden syrup or light corn syrup (I used light corn syrup)

1/2 t baking soda

2 TB hot water from a recently boiled kettle

3/4 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C shredded unsweetened coconut

1 C sprouted or quick-cooking oats (not instant) (Iused quick cooking oats)

3 TB pumpkin seeds

3 TB sunflower seeds

3 TB sesame seeds

5-6 TB raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a decent-sized saucepan, big enough to hold all of the ingredients, melt the butter, sugar, and syrup (golden or light corn) together, then remove from heat.
3. In a bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the hot water, then add to the butter mixture in the saucepan.
4. Now add the remaining ingredients to the pan and combine well.
5. Scoop rounded tablespoons of the mixture onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1" between them to allow for the biscuits to spread as they bake. Then slightly flatten them with the back of a spoon.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes (or a little longer if you want them crisp) until golden brown, swapping the baking sheets over and rotating them halfway through cooking. When cooked, the biscuits will still feel slightly soft, but will harden to a desirable chewiness once cooled.
7. Remove from the oven and let biscuits stand on their sheets for 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Additional Information:

Storage: Store in airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 1 week. The crisper version will soften slightly over time.

Freezer note: Put cooked biscuits into a resealable bag, or stack in an airtight container with baking parchment between the layers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost individual biscuits on a wire rack for about 1 hour before eating.