The History of the Anzac biscuit
During World War 1, the wives, mothers and daughters of Australian soldiers were concerned about how well their sons, husbands and brothers were eating while in Gallipoli. They wanted to send the soldiers food from home, but were faced with the problem of transporting across the ocean on ships that had virtually no refrigeration.
A group of women came up with a solution – a biscuit that used ingredients that were readily available and would remain edible for over two months. Instead of using eggs as the binding agent, golden syrup or treacle was used which overcame the problem of a general scarcity of eggs during the war. These biscuits were first called Soldiers biscuits, but then became so popular that they soon became known as the ANZAC biscuit.
As the war continued, many groups, such as the CWA, church groups, schools and other women’s organisations devoted a great deal of time to making Anzac biscuits for the troops, packed into tins and sent overseas.
The 180 spin on the healthy Anzac biscuit
What I wanted to try was to stick to the original recipe as much as possible because let’s face it, the Anzac biscuit, when it’s made well is just delicious! This recipe has taken out the cup of sugar and the honey / golden syrup, left out the flour but I did leave in the oats because I couldn’t justify an Anzac biscuit without them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 heaped tsp bi carb soda
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup oats (optional, if you leave them out then add a little more 180 coconut)
- 1/2 cup 180 Natural Protein Superfood (coconut)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 125g melted butter (almond butter or you could use 2 tabs melted coconut oil)
Instructions
First up, put the dates, boiling water and bi-carb into a blender and set it aside for 5 min. Then put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and melt the butter. Blend the dates and add to the dry ingredients and then put the melted butter into the bowl as well and stir.
The mixture should be moist but not runny, and not too dry.
Grab a tray and put some baking paper on the tray then grab handfuls of the mixture and mould into your perfect biscuit size.
Bake in an oven at 180 for 10-15min.
And there you have it… healthy delicious Anzac biscuits.
Big thanks to Caroline Howe for the recipe. View all of our recipes here.