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Anzac Biscuits

By Nagi Maehashi
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Published23 Apr '20 Updated8 May '25
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The crunchiness of Anzac Biscuits goes back to the roots of when they were invented – by soldiers’ wives who needed a biscuit recipe that would stay fresh for the months that it would take to reach soldiers overseas back in the early 1900’s.

The warm sweetness from the golden syrup combined with the wholesome goodness of oats and coconut is a flavour that is unique to this crunchy Australian biscuit!

Overhead photo of Anzac biscuits on a cooling rack, fresh out of the oven

Anzac Biscuits

Australia’s favourite biscuit! We love them for their buttery caramel flavour, how crunchy they are, that it’s a forgiving recipe and the history – this is a biscuit that Aussies make to commemorate ANZAC Day.

“ANZAC” stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. And ANZAC Day – 25 April 1915 – is Australia’s most important national occasion each year, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War during which we suffered heavy casualties.

It is said that the wives of soldiers came up with the original Anzac Biscuits using ingredients such that the biscuits stayed fresh for the weeks it took to reach the soldiers overseas. I’m told that the original Anzac biscuits were as hard as a rock, so hard in fact that some soldiers would grind them up and use them as porridge.

I think Anzac biscuits as we know them today are much more to my liking! 😅


Here’s what you need (not much!)

What goes in Anzac biscuits

Golden syrup

The only ingredient that might not be familiar to those outside of Australia and the UK is golden syrup. It’s an amber coloured syrup with the consistency of honey, and it has a toffee flavour. It has a bit of a harsh edge to the flavour so I only use it for baking, though some people use it in place of maple syrup for things like pancakes.

Best substitute for golden syrup is a combination of light molasses or treacle, plus honey. I use 1 part molasses or treacle, and 3 parts honey – the flavour is nearly identical, and the colour is very similar (a bit darker).


How to make Anzac biscuits

The making part is very straight forward – melt butter with golden syrup, add the baking soda then mix it into the dry ingredients. Roll into balls, flatten and bake!

How to make Anzac Biscuits

Close up of Australia's favourite biscuit on a cooling rack - Anzac Biscuits

Should Anzac biscuits chewy or crisp??

Apparently, the question of whether Anzac biscuits should be crisp or chewy is a topic of huge debate. 🤷🏻‍♀️

In my world, there’s no question. Anzac biscuits should be crispy, crispy, crispy!!! Just like the original created by the soldiers’ wives over a century ago! 🙂

But actually, if you want chewy it’s very simple – just reduce the bake time by a few minutes.

See? Anzac biscuits for all! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Close up of Australian Anzac biscuits

Anzac Biscuits (Golden Oatmeal Cookies)

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Total: 30 minutes mins
Cookies
Australian
4.94 from 208 votes
Servings16 – 18
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 146
Recipe video above. The great Aussie Anzac biscuits!! Crispy on the outside, a little chewy in the middle, buttery, with a beautiful deep golden colour with a toffee flavour. They will stay crispy on the edges for a week and though they will soften, still fresh for another week. Re-crisp with a quick blast in the oven!
Sweetness – Some readers have commented they find these too sweet. I really don't find them too sweet, I was not brought up with very sugary desserts. If you reduce sugar, you will lose crispiness and the cookie will be more crumbly ie texture not as Anzac biscuits are intended to be!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup desiccated coconut , unsweetened
  • 3/4 cup white sugar , preferably caster / superfine
  • 150g / 5oz unsalted butter
  • 4 tbsp golden syrup (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate soda)
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan forced)
  • Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  • Mix dry: Mix flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.  
  • Melt butter and golden syrup: Place butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat and stir until butter has melted.
  • Baking soda: Add baking soda and stir to combine – it will fizz up, this is normal. Immediately remove from heat.
  • Biscuit dough – Pour butter mixture into flour and mix until just combined. The mixture will be crumbly but should stick when you press together.
  • Form patties – Scrunch / press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into balls, then flatten into patties. (Thinner = crisper, thicker = chewier centre, crispy edges) Place balls, 2.5 cm/1" apart, on prepared trays.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, swapping trays halfway during cooking, or until deep golden. (Bake 12 min for chewy biscuits!)
  • Cool to crisp – Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool – they harden as they cool!

Recipe Notes:

1. Golden syrup – amber coloured sweet syrup primarily used for baking purposes in Australia and in the UK. Has a caramel-like flavour. Best substitutes:
  • 1 tbsp light molasses + 3 tbsp honey or light corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp treacle + 3 tbsp honey or light corn syrup
2. Oats & batter consistency – Different brands of oats can have different levels of absorbency. Your dough should be firm enough so that you can roll it into balls without it sticking to your hands, but pliable and wet enough so that you can flatten the balls without the dough crumbling. If your dough is too sticky, add more flour, if it is too dry, add more melted butter. Don’t worry about playing around with this recipe – it’s a pretty forgiving biscuit dough!
3. Storage – Anzac cookies stay crisp for about a week in an airtight container. After that, they soften a bit but are still good! If the biscuits go soft, they can be crisped up in the oven – 5 minutes at 180C / 350F.
4. Nutrition per biscuit.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 19gCalories: 74cal (4%)Carbohydrates: 14.3g (5%)Protein: 1.1g (2%)Fat: 1.6g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1.2g (8%)Sodium: 56mg (2%)Potassium: 30mg (1%)Fiber: 0.8g (3%)Sugar: 6.9g (8%)Iron: 0.5mg (3%)
Keywords: Anzac biscuits
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Anzac biscuits originally published July 2014, refreshed in 2019 and 2020. Updated with new photos, new video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added! No change to recipe.

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585 Comments

  1. Adam says

    July 17, 2024 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, turned out perfectly. Don’t be scared to pull them out of the oven a few minutes early, they will flatten while cooling. Mine had the perfect crunch with a slightly chewy/soft centre.

    Reply
  2. Amina says

    June 28, 2024 at 9:15 am

    OMG! I will definitely try this! I know my husband will absolutely love it but I have a ask, can I use margarine instead? If yes what ratio? Butter is pretty expensive where I am so can I? Thank you again for sharing. Love from Nigeria ❤️❤️

    Reply
  3. Emily says

    June 19, 2024 at 10:43 am

    5 stars
    Made these with my 3 year old son and they turned out great! We used a bit less sugar (1/2 cup instead of 3/4) and they were plenty sweet enough. Perfect size for lunchboxes. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Chris Hodge says

      September 22, 2024 at 1:59 pm

      Absolutely get kids involved! 1/2 cup of sugar is fine BUT ditch over processed white sugar for Raw Sugar as it caramelises when baked.

      Reply
  4. Andrea says

    June 10, 2024 at 4:06 pm

    My great grandmother went to the grave with her amazing anzac recipe. This, i think, is as close as I’ve come to recreating it. Well done Nagi, amazing!

    Reply
  5. Carolyn says

    June 9, 2024 at 11:29 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,
    Thank you for making easy to follow recipes which always seem to work out! I’ve gotten to the point where if I’m looking for some inspiration, you are one of my go-to’s 💜
    I’m a BIG fan. 🤗

    Reply
    • T Tipene-Hetaraka says

      July 12, 2024 at 2:49 pm

      5 stars
      Cool

      Reply
  6. Madeleine Kenworthy-Gough says

    June 9, 2024 at 5:12 pm

    I haven’t made them yet but they look ok

    Reply
  7. Anthony says

    June 5, 2024 at 9:15 am

    Hi Nagi. Your recipe is the same one I’ve been using for years, and it makes the best ANZAC biscuits! Always get great feedback whenever I take them to work for morning teas, etc.
    I just wanted to clarify your point about the early ANZAC biscuits being really hard. They were not ANZAC biscuits. They were another biscuit known as “hard tack”. They were very dry to prevent them going mouldy and as a result, were extremely hard.

    Reply
  8. Lana says

    May 30, 2024 at 10:00 pm

    5 stars
    First time I made these they flattened out so much, made them again today but put the cookie dough in fridge for 20mins to cool the mixture before baking, they turned out perfect!!!!!!! Also 1/4 cup sugar is perfect for not too sweet biki’s. Thank you Nagi for another banger

    Reply
    • Chris Hodge says

      September 22, 2024 at 2:10 pm

      Authentic, real deal Aussie ANZAC Biscuits are flat.

      Reply
    • Kris says

      June 25, 2024 at 4:24 am

      5 stars
      Mine turned out flat the first two times as well. Tasted delish but flat as pancakes. I’m going to try your tip of putting the mixture into the fridge for 20 minutes to see if that helps.

      Reply
  9. Anita Taiwo says

    May 19, 2024 at 1:24 am

    I doubled up the ingredients. Not sure if I should double the bicarb??

    Reply
  10. Ran Hao says

    May 18, 2024 at 6:20 pm

    5 stars
    these anzac biscuits are the best ive ever had! Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
  11. Johanna says

    May 12, 2024 at 9:23 am

    5 stars
    Wow. These Anzac biscuits are SO GOOD! I have always disliked Anzac biscuits but decided to make this recipe for Anzac Day this year and oh my gosh- these are delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Shannon says

    May 12, 2024 at 9:10 am

    5 stars
    BEST Anzac biscuit recipe ever. Made two batches this year because the first batch was devoured in a day!

    Reply
  13. Johanna says

    May 12, 2024 at 8:35 am

    Wow. These Anzac biscuits are SO GOOD! I have always disliked Anzac biscuits but decided to make this recipe for Anzac Day this year and oh my gosh- these are delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
  14. Sally Ash says

    May 9, 2024 at 4:30 pm

    5 stars
    Best Anzac biscuits I have ever had. Thank you Nagi

    Reply
  15. Matthew says

    May 9, 2024 at 12:59 pm

    Bad recipe, don’t try this

    Reply
  16. Sue R says

    May 5, 2024 at 9:53 am

    5 stars
    I love ANZACs but this was the best recipe for them I ever tasted. 5 stars plus 10!

    Reply
  17. Jasmine says

    May 1, 2024 at 12:19 pm

    5 stars
    Made these for my teachers as an end of semester gift, they turned out amazing! I’m a toffee lover so I knew these would be right up my alley. I’m in the US so I made the golden syrup substitution I also only had coconut flakes, still so delicious! Made a triple batch, with heaping 1T sized cookies, came out with 100 cookies.

    Reply
  18. Lauren says

    April 29, 2024 at 11:38 am

    I got around to making these today even though I’ve been meaning to since Anzac day. So delicious!

    Reply
  19. Mandy says

    April 29, 2024 at 9:52 am

    This was to be my last attempt at making anzacs if they failed. Hooray after 50 years I have finally made the perfect Anzac. I will make them regularly now. Thanks Nagi

    Reply
  20. dayle gilbert says

    April 27, 2024 at 2:00 pm

    5 stars
    Sorry forgot the stars …. here they are +5 more

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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