Chewy Anzac Biscuits (Oatmeal Coconut Cookies) — The flavors of coconut, honey, and maple syrup, along with the butter and brown sugar that caramelize while baking, give the cookies layers of flavors and an abundance of textures that just won’t quit!
What Are Anzac Biscuits?
Last week I was at a potluck lunch at my daughter’s school and someone brought in Anzac biscuits. They were soft, chewy, full of oats and coconut, and I knew I had to recreate them.
I’d been wanting to make them for years, but tasting them gave me the nudge I needed. More like a huge push to research recipes and come up with something. That night. I wasn’t going to bed until I recreated them.
“An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit popular in Australia and New Zealand made using rolled oats, flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and boiling water. Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I.”
It’s been suggested that the biscuits were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily, and the biscuits kept well during slow, long naval transport.
There’s no egg in the cookies and while there is a stick of butter, I have a feeling you could successfully keep them vegan by using a vegan butter substitute.
While I love the lineup of ingredients — brown sugar, oats, and coconut — I had previously read that the cookies were crunchy and crispy, adjectives that don’t belong in my cookies. However, the cookies I tried were soft and chewy, sealing the deal to make them.
I ran into the man who brought the cookies to the potluck, and he told me he used Bill Granger’s recipe, a Sydney chef and cookbook author. I found the recipe online, but I had already made these cookies by the time I ran into him and googled the recipe.
This is a small batch recipe, making only about 15 cookies, and I needed enough to actually bake with.
The abundance of texture from the oats and coconut is so my thing. Along with the flavors from the honey, maple syrup, and the butter and brown sugar that caramelize while baking, these sweet cookies have layers of rich flavors that just won’t quit.
I’m so glad I went to that potluck because this is a bucket list cookie I’ve had on my mental to-make list for years, and now happily can check it off.
What’s in the Anzac Biscuits?
To make these chewy oatmeal coconut cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- All-purpose flour
- Old-fashioned oats
- Sweetened shredded coconut
- Salt
- Boiling water
- Baking soda
How to Make Anzac Biscuits
You don’t need a mixer for the recipe and instead just stir the dough together. Begin by melting 1 stick of butter in the microwave, stir in brown sugar, oats, coconut, honey and maple syrup.
Most online recipes call for golden syrup. It’s very rare to find it in U.S. grocery stores, and it’s an online order. I refuse to ask my readers to order an ingredient online that you need 2 tablespoons of, so I substituted with a blend of honey and maple syrup.
I used more liquid sweetener volume than most recipes which call, usually 1 to 2 tablespoons. I used 4 tablespoons because I didn’t want the batter to be dry.
After stirring in flour and baking soda, the batter will look something like a streusel topping. Fluffy and loose, but when squeezed together, compacts to form a dough.
To help squeeze and compact the dough into mounds, I used my cookie scoop. Then I chilled the dough mounds overnight before baking.
Traditional Anzac cookies are usually very flat and thin, but I don’t prefer overly flat cookies, so I chilled the dough because cold dough spreads less, plus it gives the flavors a chance to marry.
I baked my cookies for 9 minutes and the edges were just starting to brown, while the centers remain soft and tender. The cookies are exceedingly moist, very soft and very chewy.
Can I Use Unsweetened Coconut Flakes?
I used sweetened, shredded coconut. I know I’ll be asked about using unsweetened coconut, and while the recipe will work, I don’t know how the cookies will taste.
Can I Use Instant Oats?
I used old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not quick cook or instant. Don’t use quick cook because they function more like a coarse flour, and will absorb too much moisture from the dough, rendering it dry and crumbly. Plus, I love the texture of big oats, not pulverized pieces.
Tips for Making Anzac Cookies
These oatmeal coconut cookies are a touch greasy or oily, but I don’t view that as a bad thing. I view that as a buttery-goodness-with-no-where-to-go-but-to-the-surface thing.
If you prefer drier, firmer cookies, reduce the liquid sweeteners to 1 tablespoon each of honey and maple syrup, and bake for an additional minute or two.
Note that this recipe calls for pure maple syrup, NOT pancake syrup (which is basically just flavored corn syrup).
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Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Brown Sugar Cookies {Anzac Biscuits}
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons honey, golden syrup may be substituted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, golden syrup may be substituted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not instant or quick cook
- heaping 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add the brown sugar, honey, maple, and stir to combine. (If you prefer drier cookies, reduce honey and maple to 1 tablespoon each)
- Add the flour, oats, coconut, optional salt, and stir to combine; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the water and heat on high power to boil, about 1 minute.
- Slowly and very carefully add the baking soda to the water. Use caution because it will bubble up vigorously. Stir to dissolve the baking soda.
- Pour water-baking soda mixture over dough and stir to combine. Dough will look like streusel topping. Fluffy and loose, but when squeezed together, compacts to form a dough.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two tablespoon mounds (I made 15). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds about halfway with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter, and these cookies are already prone to spreading and baking flat.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line baking sheets with Silpats, or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for about 9 minutes, or until edges have set and will be just beginning to brown (the coconut in the dough is prone to burning so watch them) and the tops are just beginning to set, even if undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 9 to 10 minutes for soft cookies because they firm up as they cool; bake for 10 to 12 minutes if you like firmer, crisper cookies (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 10 minutes while oven preheated, and were baked for exactly 9 minutes).
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — Soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate, and they turn out perfectly every time! Totally irresistible!!
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Never once have I heard of these anzac biscuits, but your look pretty awesome! Brown sugar, butter and oats are always a goo combo! Oh and I just read your response to Chung-Ah. Wow, those school potlucks sound super lame! I mean, they are kids let them live a little!
Girl it’s insane what you can and cannot bring into school here. Maybe it’s b/c it’s a private school, maybe b/c it’s Cali and everyone is so health-conscious, but there is absolutely no birthday cake. Crazy, right! Good thing we love (everything else) about the school :) And you would love these cookies, Tieghan. The flavors are right up your alley!
How interesting! These look phenomenal!
I made and posted Anzac biscuits a long time ago. I love them and made them again last week to satisfy a craving. So yummy! Mine are always soft and chewy. And yes, the dough is addictive!
I remember that post of yours from probably almost a year ago, actually! It was on my bucket list then to make them. And the time finally came to just do it. Glad you’re a fan of them too!
I’ve never heard of Anzac biscuits but I’m glad I have now, they look amazing!
I am so glad you’ve shared these Anzac biscuits with us – I’d never heard of them, but boy, do I want to make them now! Love all these ingredients together. And I love that you made them soft and chewy. There’s nothing better! Pinning!
Thanks for pinning and Colleen they’re so good! I hope you get a chance to try them!
These look delicious–with the coconut and oatmeal combo together. I haven’t had Anzac Biscuits before–so YOURS will be the one to try first!
Thanks Madison!
You have excellent timing Averie! We just read a book for book club that mentioned anzac biscuits and none of use had ever heard of them – of course we were all too lazy last night to just google it at our get together : ) haha Sending this to them! They actually do sound pretty good! You can’t go wrong with oats and coconut!
They were better than ‘pretty good’ for me! They were EXCELLENT! Well I may be biased :) But seriously I loved them! And that’s awesome about the timing – serendipity. Thanks for sending the link to your book club!
I have never heard of Anzac biscuits (or golden syrup) but I love all the oats and coconut in them–great texture! I like the looks of your soft and chewy version too. I am considering what to take across the street to the neighborhood Halloween party Friday–I was sold on the butterfinger bars you posted last week but now I see these. I’ll have to see how my afternoon shakes out Friday–I might be able to pull off a batch of each and then wouldn’t have to decide!!
They’re like no other cookie I’ve make because all the other oatmeal cookies I’ve made either follow the traditional creaming process (no melted butter) and then use an egg. This dough is exceptionally moist – in a sense it reminds me of flourless PB cookie dough that it looks like wet pebbles but when squeezed, will stick together. Same concept. The BF Bars will be a huge party hit – that’s party food right there! But if you need a cookie too, these are excellent!
These look great! I had never heard of these biscuits before, but they have an interesting story. Thanks for sharing :)
Glad you like the history!
These look absolutely delicious, I think with coconut, oatmeal and maple syrup you really can never go wrong! :D
I’ve never heard of Anzac cookies, but it has all my favorite flavors, so I’m sure I’d love them!
These looks so good and they remind me of my great grandmother’s gudrum cookies (a Norwegian tradition). Oatmeal, coconut, buttery and delicious!!
Oh wow, I grew up in MN where there are a lot of Norwegian, Swedish, Scandinavian roots, and I don’t recognize the name ‘gudrum’ but I bet I’ve had them growing up!
Your Anzacs look great. We love them and make them a lot, actually I put up a recipe for these on my blog in June! The oats persuade me that these are definitely good for us….
I am an Aussie and love making ANZAC biscuits. They are a classic. I would recommend using a combo of molasses and honey if you can’t find golden syrup. Molasses is hard to find here in Australia so I normally sub golden syrup for molasses in recipes and think it would work the other way. Your biscuits reminded me of what to make this weekend…
Thanks for sharing your info!
Could you sub coconut oil for the butter??
Haven’t tried that way so can’t say for sure how it will turn out.
The thing about crunchy ANZACs and chewy ANZACs is simply down to the baking! I find the more syrup to sugar ratio produces a chewy cookie, especially if you fold in the ingredients. I adore these biscuits; so simple and everyone loves them
Yay for the Australian cookie love!
Glad you saw this post and I’d love to see how you make them!
I’ve never head of an anzac biscuit but you totally sold me on it! And dude, I bet the moms are so thrilled when you bring stuff to the potluck! I need to go to one of your potlucks!
It’s so strict actually – no peanuts, PB, nothing super high sugar, nothing with candy in it…for bday’s, the kids aren’t even allowed to bring in cake/cupcakes. Get this…fruit cups, rice cakes, sugar free popsicles -those are the choices. Not how I grew up!