Anzac Biscuits

On Anzac Day, April 25th, we honour and acknowledge those who have served and protected Australia with dawn services, street parades and games of two-up in RSL clubs and pubs. We also bake Anzac Biscuits and today I'm sharing my recipe.

If you follow anyone from Australia or New Zealand on social media, you'll probably notice us acknowledging Anzac Day and baking Anzac Biscuits on April 25.

Anzac Day is the anniversary of the day Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli in 1915 as part of the Allies Invasion of WW1.

It's a day of remembrance. A day to give thanks to the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives, bodies and spirit to protect their countries. We honour them at dawn services, in street parades, during two-up at the pub (the only day it is legal) and by baking a batch of Anzac Biscuits.

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and when war broke out in 1914, both countries were automatically placed on the side of the British Commonwealth. At the time, Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty, and he was a strong advocate of the Gallipoli campaign, playing a pivotal role in its conception.

The objective was to arrive at the Gallipoli Peninsula and take over Constantinople, but they were met with fierce resistance from the Turkish soldiers and an eight-month battle ensued with both sides suffering heavy casualties and great hardships.

More than 8000 Australians and over 2700 New Zealanders died during the course of the campaign with casualties exceeding 25, 000. The objective failed disastrously, but it left a powerful legacy in both countries, and on April 25 we honor these Anzac legends and every serviceman/woman who came before and after them.

The original Anzac Biscuits (known as tiles or wafers) were sent to the troops from wives' and women's groups as they kept well during transportation. They, along with bully beef, were part of the soldier's rations during WW1.

They were a long life, hard tack biscuit that was used as a substitute for bread. Although, unlike bread these biscuits were very very hard, and some soldiers preferred to grind them up into porridge or soften them in their tea.

Today Anzac Biscuits are manufactured commercially and sold in supermarkets and bakeries. If you walk into any shopping centre during April, you're sure to find a veteran selling tins of Anzac Biscuits as part of their fundraising campaign. The tins are always gorgeous, and they make great collector items.

Anzac Biscuits are eggless and contain oats, flour, sugar, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle, baking soda and boiled water.

Every family cooks them differently, but the ingredients generally remain the same. Some prefer a thin and crunchy biscuit while we prefer them crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle.

My grandmother made them this way and today I'm sharing her recipe.

Baking Anzac Biscuits on Anzac Day is a long-standing tradition, and a simple way to show respect.

There's nothing better than coming home from the dawn service or the parade and warming up with a hot cup of tea and a batch of freshly baked Anzac Biscuits.

If you'd like to bake a batch for yourself, simply click the link for the recipe card or right click on the photo below and save it to your computer.