Anzac Biscuits

Anzac biscuits are one of those wonderful rare things: items born out of necessity and entirely successful.  Forget beautiful and useful (thank you, William Morris); my new watchwords are practical and delicious!  Anzac’s were created in Australasia, their function to feed the boys in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (hence, Anzac) fighting in Gallipoli in Turkey.  Made by the mother’s and families of those men, the combination of oats, flour and desiccated coconut meant (and still means) that the biscuits keep really well  - three months being the norm- I know! - without losing any of their texture and flavour over time.   A combination of brown sugar and golden syrup means that they have a lovely mellow sweetness while the coconut adds bite and a nice back note of taste. 

You’ll notice they are naturally egg-free which makes them incredibly easy to adapt; a little gluten flour here, some vegetable oil there and you have an anzac biscuit that tastes exactly as it should.  If you cannot tolerate even gluten-free oats then I’ve heard it recommended that you replace them with cornflakes, lightly crushed – ingenious, I think.  These biscuits are so simple to make, they’re the kind of thing children would enjoy making – all that squishing and shaping -, with supervision, of course.  For me, they’re simply a lovely biscuit, packed full of flavour and just right for dunking into a cup of tea – as all good biscuits should be.  Happy Baking!

ANZAC BISCUITS

Makes 12 biscuits

125g gluten-free plain flour

100g gluten-free oats

100g dark soft brown sugar

50g desiccated coconut

75ml sunflower oil

2 tbsp golden syrup

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp boiling water

Preheat the oven to 170c and line two baking sheets with parchment – if you only have one baking sheet, don’t panic.  Just bake the biscuits in two batches.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and then stir in the oats, coconut and brown sugar until evenly mixed.

Place the bicarbonate of soda into a small bowl and add the boiling water.  Tip this mixture into the dry ingredients along with the oil and golden syrup.  Stir together as much as possible, the mixture will clump in places but still appear quite dry.

Take tablespoons of the biscuit mixture and squeeze together in the palm of your hands so that it binds into a ball – it will be a little crumbly – shape into a ball and press flat between your hands, then place on the baking trays, evenly spaced apart to allow them to spread a little.  Bake in the oven for 15 - 18 minutes, rotating the two trays after ten minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.

Remove from the oven and leave for 10 minutes to firm up before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Holy Granola

Now, I have a history with granola.  When I was growing up, my family used to visit America quite regularly.  On those trips I was quite literally obsessed by granola, it was part of the breakfast offering in every hotel or house we stayed in and my 9 year old self became completely addicted to the golden foodstuff.  So much so, that on every trip I would pack my suitcase with as many of the miniature individual cartons of granola - a week’s worth of pilfering from the hotel breakfast buffet - that I could cram in amongst my belongings (on a separate note, what is it that is so appealing about things in miniature?  I can remember my sister and I going crazy when we discovered you could get tiny, but perfectly proportioned, bottles of ketchup or mayonnaise.  So appealing.)  Sadly, my stock of granola would quickly dwindle and breakfast at home in chilly England would return to the cold dark winter of plain old cornflakes and weetabix.

It has taken me years of experimentation (I may be exaggerating) but I think that this recipe is as close to recreating the sweet cinnamon and maple crunch flavours of my childhood.   I like to serve it with cold rice or almond milk.  It is also really good sprinkled over stewed apples or plums for a warming winter start to the day. Whatever way you choose to enjoy it, granola is an absolute cupboard failsafe.  It is simple to prepare, makes the perfect impromptu snack or breakfast (actually, I quite often have it for supper), stores really well and for a really long time, and tastes amazing. 

You will notice that I have not added any dried fruit to the mixture, as is the traditional way.  This is partly because a lot of dried fruits tend to contain a certain amount of yeast - although some yeast intolerant people can cope with them.  It is also because I actually prefer it that way and like to add my own fresh fruit, such as blueberries and bananas, if I feel the urge.  Feel free to experiment and by all means add whatever fruits you like, just as long as you have lots of granola with them!

THE HOLY GRANOLA

125g/4½oz pecan nuts (broken in to pieces)

125g/4½oz flaked almonds

250g/9oz rolled oats

25g/1oz pumpkin seeds

25g/1oz sunflower seeds

1tbsp soft brown sugar

120ml/4¼floz groundnut oil

120ml/4¼floz maple syrup

1½tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 200c (180c fan oven).  Combine the nuts, seeds, cinnamon and oats in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk together the maple syrup and groundnut oil.

Pour the oil and syrup mixture over the nuts, seeds and oats and mix thoroughly so that everything is evenly coated. 

Line a large baking tray with tin foil and spread out the granola mixture so that it is in a flat thin layer.  Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, shaking the tray every few minutes to ensure that the mixture doesn’t stick (you may need to stir it a bit with a wooden spoon.)

Remove from the oven, shake and stir it again then set aside allowing it to cool.  As it cools the granola will begin to crisp up and you will need to continue to stir it every few minutes to ensure it doesn’t stick.  Once cooled completely, store in an airtight container and serve when needed.