Introduction: ANZAC Bickies

ANZACs are delicious little healthy cookies. They were originally created for the WWII ANZAC (Australia-New Zealand Army Corp) because they were small, healthy and lasted a long time. They are really simple to make and enjoy. They brought a small joy to the troops in otherwise hard times.

Step 1: Ingredients

For this project you will need:
1 cup rolled oats (the flat ones! No joke; don't use steel-cut oats)
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar (3/4 if too sweet)
3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes
8 Tbs (1 stick) butter
2 Tbs golden syrup (or honey)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs boiling water

Step 2: Mixing Time

Actually, before you start mixing preheat the oven to 325F.

  • Now, in a large bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, and coconut.
  • In a medium sauce pan combine butter and golden syrup (or honey); stir over gentle heat until melted.
TIP: In the third image below I am spraying the measuring spoon with cooking spray so that the golden syrup will not stick to it.
  • Put the boiling water in a small cup. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water.
  • Add to butter mixture. NOTE WELL: Butter mixture will foam up to 5 times it's size in the sauce pan. This is supposed to happen! Sorry, I don't have a picture of the foam-up (yet).
  • Stir into dry ingredients before all of the foam goes away.

Step 3: Baking

At this point the mixture is good enough to eat uncooked (don't worry there are no raw eggs).

But if you want to cook them, to enhance the taste, just place small teaspoonfuls on a lightly greased baking sheet. Pop them in your pre-heated oven for about twenty minutes (less for softer cookies, experiment with times and temperatures and then post comments about what works and what fails horribly and tastes like the plauge). Pull up a chair and sit there for twenty minuets without blinking, waiting for them to finish. If you're not weird then just clean up until they are done, then take them out and let them cool because they are really hot and could burn you (if you have no sense of touch, can't feel you fingers, or they have been amputated, go ahead and have one -- note you may then just burn the roof of your mouth. So read a book for twenty more minutes, or stare at the cookies willing them to cool. It works, I swear.)

Step 4: Eat (the Hard Part)

This step is pretty self explanatory. Try not to miss your mouth. Good with milk, tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite beverage of the day or evening. Makes a great midnight snack or holiday gift.

WARNING: Keep out of reach of children, they may disappear (I mean the kids). Tell them these snacks are healthy -- it may dissuade them from eating any... NOT!

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