Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan forced)
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Mix flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
Place butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat and stir until butter has melted.
Add baking soda and stir to combine - it will fizz up, this is normal. Immediately remove from heat.
Pour butter mixture into flour and mix until just combined.
Roll level 1 tablespoon mixture into balls, flatten into patties. Place balls, 2.5 cm/1" apart, on prepared trays.
Bake for 15 minutes, swapping trays halfway during cooking, or until deep golden. (Bake 12 min for chewy biscuits!)
Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool - they harden as they cool!
Recipe Notes:
1. Golden syrup - amber coloured sweet syrup primarily used for baking purposes in Australia and in the UK. Has a caramel-like flavour. Best substitutes:
1 tbsp light molasses + 3 tbsp honey or light corn syrup
1 tbsp treacle + 3 tbsp honey or light corn syrup
*My personal edit here: If you live in the states and have access to Alaga cane syrup, the taste and viscosity are almost identical. (Plus it is much cheaper) I did make recipe #2 with the Alaga syrup and it tasted just like the first batch. I know there are other brands of cane syrup but I did not have any other on hand to try so I can't vouch for them.
2. Oats & batter consistency - Different brands of oats can have different levels of absorbency. Your dough should be firm enough so that you can roll it into balls without it sticking to your hands, but pliable and wet enough so that you can flatten the balls without the dough crumbling. If your dough is too sticky, add more flour, if it is too dry, add more melted butter. Don't worry about playing around with this recipe - it's a pretty forgiving biscuit dough!
3. Storage - Anzac cookies stay crisp for about a week in an airtight container. After that, they soften a bit but are still good! If the biscuits go soft, they can be crisped up in the oven - 5 minutes at 180C / 350F.
4.* Me again: Don't try and find desiccated coconut at the store. Make your own. Buy unsweetened shredded coconut (easily found at Latin markets here) Lay the coconut out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake at 250-300 F until it feels brittle. This should take just 5-10 minutes – check on it regularly. I crush mine just a bit so it is a little smaller but you don't have to. I usually buy a container of coconut and dry all of it. It keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for about a year.
#3 is a bit of a lie. There is no way those cookies would last over a week here
If you want something buttery and delicious give these a try. I am so glad I did!
p.s. They are pretty good with a cup of coffee for a continental breakfast! Yes, that is what I am calling it!
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