Project Description

 

Mother Linda’s Anzacs

Because this cookie has no eggs, it was popularized during WWI as a care package item sent to Australian soldiers on the front line because they kept so well. Over the years, I’ve used various recipes, but I’ve finally found the perfect combination of ingredients by adding more coconut, substituting maple sugar for half of the sugar, and using sorghum syrup. These cookies expand a lot when baking, so give them plenty of room on the baking sheet.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup maple sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 cups desiccated coconut

1 cup butter, melted (Kerry Gold)

2 Tbsp. sorghum syrup (or Lyle’s Golden syrup)

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugars and coconut. Set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add sorghum syrup. When the butter is melted, dissolve the baking soda in boiling water and add to the butter-syrup mixture. This can foam or bubble up quite a bit, so this is why best to melt the better in a saucepan.

Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. If the dough doesn’t pull together, add additional teaspoons of hot water, one at a time. This makes a very pliable, shiny dough that is easy to work with. Using a tablespoon, shape balls of dough a bit bigger than a walnut, use hands to smooth, and drop onto prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten cookies with your fingertips.

Bake about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for one minute on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy these buttery, delicious cookies, before they vanish. Makes about 3 dozen.