ANZAC Biscuits

Intro

I have just come back from attending the local ANZAC Day service at the RSA Bowling Club at Waitarere.It was pelting down with rain but, as usual, the club was crammed packed. Old soldiers and their families, locals, and servicemen of every 'flavour': army, airforce, navy, police, fireservice plus the local scout troop. All beautifully dressed in full uniforms. We attend year after year because it is a part of being a Kiwi. I love joining with my community, the backpipes, Binyin's lines, the Dedication, the laying of the wreaths and listening to the haunting strains of the last post.

As long as I can remember I have been attending ANZAC ceremonies. First with my parents, then as a Brownie, Girl Guide and Ranger. I remember marching behind the solidiers in the freezing early morning darkness for the Dawn Service at Titahi Bay, then as a young bride we supported the Father in Law. Now I go to support my children who are Scouts. Today Connor laid the wreath for the Scouts, but Millie has done it in the past, and I am very proud that they conduct themselves with such decorum.

ANZAC Day is a very special public holiday in New Zealand. and Australia too, to honour our soldiers who fought and died at Gallipoli in 1915, but also other soldiers and theatres of war. Gallipoli was a disaster. The campaign took nine months, we lost a third of our soldiers, Kiwis made up a quarter of those who died at Gallipoli and it had no influence on the outcome of WWI.

What we celebrate on ANZAC DAY is the Kiwi spirit that was defined on that beach: bravery, tenacity, practicality, ingenuity, loyalty to King and comrades. We emerged as a Nation, even as we fought unquestioningly on the other side of the world in the name of the British Empire.

Anzac Biscuits

One of the food items that women in both Australia and NZ sent to soldiers during the First World War was a hard, long-keeping biscuit that could survive the journey by sea, and still remain edible. These were known as Soldiers' Biscuits, but after Gallipoli they became known as Anzac Biscuits.

The traditional Anzac Biscuit is hard and flat but newer versions are soft and chewy. There are many recipes for Anzac Biscuits. Common to most is the inclusion of rolled oats, coconut, butter and golden syrup - but never eggs which were in short supply during the First World War.

I remember making these with my Grandmother when I was just a little girl, John Imber's Mum made them for us to take tramping when we were teenagers and I make them now for the kids lunchboxes. They are delicious, indestructible and get better over the week.

Recipe

• 125g flour (4 ozs)
• 150g sugar (6 ozs)
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup rolled oats
  
  
• 100g butter (3.5 ozs)
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (soda bicarb)
• 2 tablespoons water

Mix together the first 4 ingredients. Melt butter and syrup together in a largish saucepan. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water in a cup - then pour it into the melted butter and syrup. It will fizz up - stir it in - then stir it into the dry ingredients.

Place spoonfuls on greased baking trays and cook for 15 - 20 minutes at 180 degrees celcius (350F).

Photograph: http://www.flickr.com/photos/australian-war-memorial/3461453199/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Fruit Anzacs

Intro
The most popular recipe on my blog is Caramel Anzac slice and when I posted it I said I would also share a recipe for Anzac Biscuits. These fruity Anzacs are the ones I cook most often nowadays, rather than the traditional ones I remember cooking with my Grandmother.

When we were teenagers John Imber's Mum always gave us a big batch of Anzacs to take hiking with us. They are good energy food - its all that sugar and rolled oats!


Recipe

• 2 cups organic rolled oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cups coconut
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 175 g dried apricots, sliced

• 285g butter
• 6 tablspoons golden syrup
• 4 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcuis. Butter a couple of cookie sheets or line with baking paper.

Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl - this recipe makes lots!
Melt the butter and syrup together in a fairly large saucepan.
Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water in a cup,then tip this mixture into the butter. It froths like mad - just stir it in - then tip it all into the dry ingredients.

Mix together then roll into walnut sized balls, place on trays and flatten with a fork or fingers. Don't put them too close and cook 1 tray first to see how far they will spread. Sometimes they spread heaps and are thin and chewy but other times they don't spread much and are a bit cakier. (Depends on humidity on the day, flour etc.)

Cook for 12 - 15 mins at 160 celcius - watch them closely they burn easily! When they are nicely golden remove them from the oven, allow them to cool on trays for a few minutes to firm up then cool on wire racks. They get better and better for a few days and keep well in airtight tins.

No-bake lemon coconut slice

 Intro

A Kiwi classic straight out of the Australian Women's Weekly Beautiful Biscuits book.

Ingredients

Base

• 1 tin of condensed milk (1 cup)
• 250g of butter
• 2 packets of wine biscuits (500g plain sweet biscuits) 
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 cups of desicated coconut

Icing

• 2 cups of icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 30g of butter
• 1/4 cup of coconut

Method

Crush the biscuits very finely.

Melt the butter and condensed milk together.

Mix the ingredients together and then press into a greased or lined swiss roll tin. Place in the fridge while you make the icing.

Melt the butter and mix all the ingredients together. Pur over the base and sprinkle with coconut. Keep in the fridge. 

Chocolate Trufffles

Intro

Divinely disgustingly rich and rummy - another one of Fran's recipes. 

Recipe

Soak together for 10 minutes:

• 2 tablespoons chopped raisins
• 2 tablespoons rum

Melt:

• 150g good chocolate (darkish but not bitter)

Mix in:

• 1 lightly beaten egg yolk
• 25g soft butter
• a half cup icing sugar
• the soaked raisins (from above)

Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes then roll into small balls. Set in fridge for a bit, then dip in chocolate and and roll in coconut:

• 150g melted chocolate
• 1 cup coconut.

Martha's Coconut Biscuits

Intro

I dunno if I'm gonna get hammered for posting this here because it is Martha's straight recipe but I had to save it here in my blog because these are the best biscuits ever and I definitely don't want to lose this recipe.

Ingredients

• 8oz butter
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 2 tblsps
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1.25 cups flour plus 2 tblsps
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups coconut chips

Method

Cream butter and sugars relly well - 10 minutes in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Switch to a paddle. Add egg. Fold in half the coconut and half the dry ingredients, then the rest of the coconut and dried ingredients.

Roll into balls, squash and cook about 15 mins until golden.  350 degrees Fahrenheit ( about 179c in a fanbake).

Coconut Ice Slice

Intro

I think this is another one of Verna's recipes but Its one of my oldest ones - dating back to when I was 9 years old and wrote it in my notebook so I can't be certain!

Recipe

• 4 oz butter
• 4 oz sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• vanilla essence
• milk

Cream together butter and sugar. Add flour, coconut and baking powder. Add 1 teasp vanilla essence and just enough milk to make a spreadable soft consistency (stiffer than a batter and softer than a dough).

Spread into a greased swiss roll tin and bake 180 degrees for 20 minutes. When almost cold ice with coconut topping.

Topping

Melt together:

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup coconut
• cochineal

Coconut Cake

Intro

A good, basic coconut cake that is weighty and moist.

Recipe

• 5 ozs butter 
• 5 ozs sugar
• 2 eggs
• 6 ozs self raising flour
• 2 ozs coconut
• a few tblsps milk

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in the eggs 1 at a time, add sifted flour and coconut and add just enough milk until mixture drops from a spoon.

Bake in a greased 8 inch round tin for an hour or so at 350 degree F.

Optional: finely grated rind of a lemon.

Caramel Anzac Slice

Intro

This is, without doubt, the very best of my recipes for slices. It has all my favourite flavours: coconut, caramel and rolled oats. These are reminiscent of Anzac biscuits - a great Kiwi classic (yes - I will give recipes for these too).

Recipe

Base

Cream together

• 200g butter
• 150g sugar

Add

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Press mixture into a greased swiss roll tin. Cook 10 minutes at 175 degrees celcius.

Filling

Melt together

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 25g butter
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup

Pour over the partially cooked base then add the topping..

Topping

• 70g butter rubbed into
• 1 cup rolled oats (organic oats are worth it - truly)
• half cup coconut
• quarter cup flour
• quarter cup brown sugar

Sprinkle over the topping and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees celcius.

Lemon Coconut Slice

Intro

This is a slice I 'invented' in the process of trying to replicate a lemon slice I tasted while staying at The White House, a ski lodge in Ohakune. I never did get it right but my slice is pretty good. Everyone grows lemons in Levin - except me - so whenever I get given too many to use quickly I make this.

Recipe

Pastry

Cream 60g butter then add 2 tablespoons sugar beating until just combined - don't overmix or it will be tough. Add 1 lightly beaten egg then fold in 1 cup plain flour and 2 tablespoons self raising flour. Knead very lightly then rest in fridge in 20 mins. Press into a swiss roll tin - it will be thin.

Filling

Spread over a half quantity of lemon honey.

Topping

Mix together then sprinkle evenly over the lemon filling:

• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 and a half cups of thread coconut

Bake for 25 minutes at 180 degrees until the top is lightly browned and the base is cooked through.