This recipe is totally rubbish, frankly. I only noticed it because i adore these iconic cookies nibbles (it is illegal to refer to Anzacs as cookies!) and this particular version does not include coconut, which, on reflection was probably a typo. Have you ever heard of anzac biscuits without coconut? Exactly my point.

My son can not eat coconut, so i was easily seduced into trying something new for him. It was apparent fairly early that the ingredients were not doing what they should, so i winged it. If you want that burnt-sugar hit, a deep full-throated caramel crunch with a hint of chewy oat .. well, my version worked. I'll be making them again, for sure.

Heat oven to 160ºC.

In a pan, gently melt 125g of butter with 2 tablespoons of golden syrup. Leave to cool slightly and add 170g of porridge oats, 100g self raising flour, 125g caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.








Take a teaspoon of mixture and roll into a ball, place on a silicone bake tray, flatten slightly with a fork. Repeat, but do not underestimate how these biscuits spread. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. If, like mine, your biscuits spread into each other, divide with the blunt edge of a baking slice while they are still soft and pliable. Allow to cool completely on a rack before eating, if you can.






My children are elsewhere for the weekend, the house is silent and still. The playroom looks oddly paralysed, as if held in suspension until they return. I indulge myself in solitude, in pleasures, in thought and deeds which are purely for myself. I feel myself expanding into this vacuum, and may not leave this private haven for the duration.

**update** If you don't recognise the date/name; it is Anzac Day today, which is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I and also to commemorate the soldiers who fought in France and Belgium. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.

The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. The ingredients for these sturdy biscuits do not spoil easily so they kept well during naval transportation to loved ones who were fighting abroad.