If you stick around here long enough you are bound to hear me raving about my favorite Chicago bakery- Floriole [1]. Floriole never ceases to amaze me with the quality seasonal baked goods they produce. My most recent discovery was a small oat and coconut cookie that the Floriole folks fondly referred to as Scooby snacks. They are like small bits of the butteriest soft granola bar you can imagine. As I sat eating my second Scooby snack of the evening I emailed Sandra at Floriole to tell her I was once again impressed. She explained that the cookie I was eating was an adaptation of an ANZAC biscuit and my quest to make my own version of these sweet cookies began.
Some rudimentary internet research taught me that the biscuits are associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and perhaps were popular with soldiers because they transport and keep well. There were a bunch of recipes online and plenty of arguing over what constituted a traditional ANZAC (crispy-not soft and golden syrup-not honey) . I wasn’t so concerned with tradition- I wanted to make a cookie that would satisfy my oat-coconut cravings when I couldn’t get to the market to buy some. The recipe I arrived at could not be easier. The dough takes about 5 minutes to put together and 15 minutes to bake. Pretty ideal for a weeknight. I would also like to make the argument for these being healthy: whole wheat flour, oats, coconut, sugar, butter—okay, I lose the argument. But they aren’t so bad as far as baked goods go and they taste so good, the slightly crunchy exterior gives may to a rich and chewy center. Send some to a friend living far away— if any of the lore is true they should get there in good condition and your friend will be very, very pleased.
ANZAC Biscuits
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 2 tablespoons mild-flavored honey
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, coconut, sugars, and salt and set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat melt the butter with the honey and remove from heat. Combine the boiling water and baking soda in a small bowl to dissolve the baking soda. Pour the water and baking soda into the butter mixture and stir to combine. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
Use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop to mold each cookie by packing dough into ice cream scoop and then turning out onto cookie sheet. (alternately, you could simply form 1 1/2-inch balls of the dough) Place cookies 1-inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 18 cookies.