Recipe extracted from Flour and Stone by Nadine Ingram, published by Simon & Schuster Australia.

Flour and Stone’s Anzac biscuits

Makes 12 giant or 24 soldier’s-pocket-sized biscuits

I wonder if the Diggers used to trade their Anzac biscuits for other commodities during the war. I reckon they would have had a high trench value as a bargaining tool back then. Nowadays there are many inferior competitors to rival the Anzac biscuit, but none that evoke such a sense of home and country. The pleasing warm smell of golden syrup as they come out of the oven is something I have always loved about them, surpassed only by my occupational advantage of always being able to eat them straight off the baking sheet.

Ingredients

• 250g unsalted butter 
• 300g golden syrup 
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 250g plain flour
• 150g light brown sugar 
• 150g desiccated coconut 
• 100g shredded coconut 
• 330g rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 150°C and line three baking sheets with baking paper.

Combine the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan and place over medium heat to melt the butter, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, tip the bicarbonate of soda into a small bowl, add the boiling water and mix them together with a small spoon. Place this bowl near the stove, at the ready.

Once you see the butter and golden syrup just beginning to boil remove the pan from the heat and, stirring with a wooden spoon, immediately add the bicarbonate of soda mixture. Mix well, then set aside to cool until just tepid.

Place all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together thoroughly. Pour over the cooled butter syrup and mix it through with a wooden spoon until the dough becomes sticky and everything is well combined.

For the giant biscuits, scoop 1/2 cup of dough for each biscuit directly onto the prepared baking sheets, then use your fingertips to flatten the dough to

a thickness of 3 mm, trying to keep them as round as possible. Leave a 5 cm gap between each biscuit to allow for spreading. For the pocket-sized biscuits, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion out the dough. Bake the giant biscuits for 30 minutes and the smaller ones for 20 minutes or until golden. If you prefer your Anzacs crisp, leave them in the oven for a further 5 minutes.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and slide them onto a wire rack to cool. They will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe extracted from Flour and Stone by Nadine Ingram, published by Simon & Schuster Australia. Photography © Alan Benson