Anzac Lemon Slice Recipe #1

Lemon Anzac Slice (Via Baked Relief Supporter Paula O'Keefe)

1 cup rolled oats

1½ cups plain flour, sifted

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup desiccated coconut

125 g butter, chopped

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

½ cup lemon butter

Method:

1 : Grease a rectangular 19 cm x 29 cm slice pan with baking paper. Extend paper 5 cm above edge of pan.

2 : Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl, mix well.

3 : Combine the butter, golden syrup and water in a medium saucepan, stir over a low heat, without boiling, until the butter is melted. Bring to the boil, remove from heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda.

4 : Add syrup mixture to the dry ingredients in bowl, mix well. Press two thirds of the oat mixture over the base of the prepared pan. Spread evenly with the lemon butter, crumble the remaining mixture over the top.

5 : Bake at 180°C for approximately 35 minutes or until cooked when tested.

6 : Cool slice in the pan for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Slice into squares.

TIP : Don't spread the lemon butter to near to the edge or it will catch. 

Anzac Lemon Slice #2

Recipe from Andy Lusk and her mum Via New Idea.

1 cup traditional rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

1 cup desiccated coconut

3/4 cup caster sugar

125g unsalted butter, chopped

2 tblsps golden syrup

1 tsp bicarb of soda

2 tblsps boiling water

2 1/2 tsps lemon juice

1/2 cup icing sugar mixture

1. Grease and line an 18 x 28cm rectangular slice pan.

2. Place oats, flour, coconut and sugar in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.

3. Melt butter and syrup in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Dissolve soda in boiling water in a small heatproof jug. Stir into butter mixture until it froths. Remove from heat.

4. Pour warm butter mixture over oat mixture. Stir well until combined.

5. Press mixture into pan. Cook in a moderately slow oven (160C) for 30 mins.

6. Stand in pan for 5 mins. Lift out onto a wire rack to cool.

7. Blend lemon juice with icing sugar mixture. Drizzle over slice. Stand until set.

Enjoy!!

Crunchy and Chewy Anzacs

Allison Reynolds (Australian Culinary Historian) been on a mission to unearth the history surrounding the ANZAC biscuit, in the lead up to commemorations for the ANZAC Centenary.

If you are a custodian to a family heirloom cookbook pre-1920, have a look and see if there's an ANZAC biscuit recipe (or ANZAC Crispies, Soldiers’ Biscuits or by another name) and let her know. cookingschool@netscape.net

With so many variations of this iconic biscuits available I asked my friend and good home baker Yvonne Balderstone from Crafers to test several recipes. She has settled on the following recipe to the delight of her family who insist on them all year round – especially her grandsons who recently awarded her 10/10!

Pre heat oven to 170C / 325F /150C Fan Forced / Gas 3

Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment or lightly grease

Crispy Anzac biscuits

1 level cup / 5 ½ oz / 150g plain flour

1 cup / 3 oz / 90g Rolled Oats (not instant)

1 Cup / 3 oz / 80g Desiccated Coconut

1 cup / 7 oz / 200g Sugar (granulated is good for crunchy)

4 ½ oz / 125g butter

2x 20ml. Tbsp. Golden Syrup (open lid and stand the tin in bowl of hot water to soften before measuring). 

1 tsp. Bicarbonate of Soda

2 Tbsp. Boiling Water

• Mix flour, oats, desiccated coconut and sugar in a large bowl 

• In a large pan, melt the butter over moderate heat, dip tablespoon in hot water before measuring and adding the golden syrup, stir until dissolved and just bring gently to boiling then remove pan from heat

• Combine boiling water and bicarbonate of soda and stir till dissolved; add to hot butter and golden syrup mixture, mix well (stir till it froths)

• Add to the  dry ingredients and stir until combined

• Take teaspoons or a level dessertspoon of the mixture and roll into a ball – place on trays 5 cm apart to allow room for the biscuits to spread.

• Press the biscuits down gently to flatten slightly - use a fork dipped in flour

• Bake for 18-20 minutes until nicely golden brown

• Remove trays from oven and leave biscuits on the baking tray to firm up and until completely cool about 10 minutes.

For chewier Anzacs

The ingredients are the same apart from:

Use half plain and half SR flour

Use only I generous tablespoon golden syrup

Use only 1 tablespoon boiling water

• Bake for 15 – 18 mins until light golden brown

• Remove trays from oven but then only leave the biscuits on the tray for five minutes to firm up before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

This recipe makes 28 -32 biscuits

Once cooled, store these delicious biscuits in an airtight tin.

NB. It seems we had a sweeter tooth in days gone by! It is possible to reduce the amount of sugar by up to ½ cup without it affecting the recipe too much.

Cowboy Cookies

Recipe from Miss Chardy’s Guide to Station Cooking, which you can purchase here