Baking Anzac biscuits

 

 Today being Anzac Day, I baked some Anzac biscuits. This recipe is from my mother-in-law.

Anzac Biscuit recipe

1 cup each of rolled oats, shredded coconut, sugar, and plain flour.

125g of butter

1 tablespoon of golden syrup

1 teaspoon of bi-carb soda

2-3 tablespoons of water

Melt the butter, golden syrup, bi-carb soda and 1 tablespoon of water on the stove. Put the other ingredients, excluding the water, in a large bowl. Mix butter mixture with the dry ingredients, and add the rest of the water. Add more if required to get it to stick together.  Take about a tablespoon amount of the mixture, and press into a ball, place on a greased tray, and flatten into a biscuit shape.  My mother in law uses the back of a spoon to do this, I find it easier to just use my fingers. Bake in a 180 degree oven for 15 minutes. Once out of the oven, let them sit on the tray for only a minute, then lay them onto baking paper on a cooling rack. Now if you're the sort who like your Anzacs chewy, then bake for less time. 

I'm a fan of chewy Anzacs - but ended up baking them hard.  What sort are are? Do you like them chewy or soft?

Nonna Linda's Amaretti Biscuits

Baking biscuits for Christmas has become a tradition of mine for some years now.  Usually it's gingerbread men, but this year I really wanted to do some italian biscotti.

This recipe was given to me by my stepmother - whose mum (Nonna Linda) is the most amazing cook. It is a very easy recipe with fantastic results.

Last night I baked a batch and today my hubby and I gave half of them to our work colleagues.  The rest  will be brought along for Xmas lunch.

Here's the recipe for you all.

Nonna Linda's Amaretti Biscuits

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1/2 bottle of almond essence (approx 25mL)

5 eggs

400g self raising flour

400 g caster sugar

500 g almonds

icing sugar to coat

3 tbls of cocoa

1 tsp of cinnamon

Process almonds in a food processor. In a bowl, add almond, flour, sugar, cocoa and cinnamon.

Beat eggs, add oil and almond essence.  Make a well in the flour mixture and add egg mixture, and fold together.  Roll into a ball and cover with icing sugar.  Grease trays and put balls quite separate. Bake in 170 degrees fan forced oven for 15 minutes.

My tips - when you roll the balls, I used a tablespoon to scoop some mixture out, and put some icing sugar in my hand as I rolled them so the mixture did not stick to my hands.