Recently, my husband and I were on a getaway out west, and like many vacationers we look for learning experiences in unfamiliar areas that expand our understandings of the world. Nowadays where upheaval and unrest seem to be the norm, where civility and positivity are overshadowed by name-calling and knee-jerk, it's a blessing to find a place, if only for a week, where peace and beauty prevail. This vacation spot drew us in a few years back, and we return when we can to the small house that we built on an island in the Puget Sound.
In our new community, there is a Saturday Market during spring and summer where talented craftspeople display and sell what they've created, baked, sewn, hammered and nailed, written, thrown, painted, and grown. Whether you come to socialize or to purchase, no one leaves the marketplace disappointed. Whether you buy from the potter, chat up the weaver, or ogle the bakers' scrumptious layouts, it's a few hours of sharing updates, greeting newcomers, or browsing the many adorned tables, looking for a way to spend those few dollars you brought.
One of the vendors at this Saturday Market has been selling ANZAC cookies since 2009, and believe it or not, has sold over 30,000! Imagine how organized and efficient his kitchen must be as he prepares for each Saturday's visitors. In simple terms, he sells around 4000 cookies each market season. Awesome!
His ANZAC (the acronym stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) cookies are a staple on Saturdays. They have an interesting backstory, are reliably delicious, and are coveted by many. I have had this cookie on other occasions while at the market, and they always taste the same, look the same, and can shoulder the journey from west coast to east coast with little wear and tear. The price tag is also reasonable...a quart ziplock bag with 7 ANZAC cookies for $5.00. A good and yummy deal any way you look at it.
One historical claim shared by the Saturday Market vendor is that these cookies (or biscuits) were sent to ANZAC soldiers fighting in Europe during WWI. They were travel-proof and had a long shelf life. But another theory is that the biscuits were made and sold at public events 'Down Under' and the money used to support the soldiers abroad. Today these biscuits are still popular and are used as a fundraising tool for various military-related groups. ANZAC Day is observed each year on April 25, and is similar to the our Labor Day in that it honors those that have served Australia and New Zealand in all wars and peacekeeping efforts.
When we returned from our trip, I found a recipe for ANZAC cookies from an internet search. The traditional recipe includes few ingredients (oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda, and boiling water) with an option to add desiccated coconut, and I'm so glad I did. Desiccated coconut helps to bind the dough and provides an additional flavor layer. Externally, the cookie is cracked and crunchy while inside it's soft and chewy. The coconut bits provide a softening effect over time. The puffs pack up and travel well, and even if bumped around a bit, they are still good-looking :) This recipe does not require a mixer...only a bowl and small saucepan. No wonder this is my new favorite cookie!!!
Notes
1. I made these with all-purpose flour and baking soda and again with self-rising flour only. You know what I'm going to say, right? My preference is to use self-rising flour because it eliminates one step and frankly, there are times when the essence of baking soda lingers in the background of an otherwise fabulous recipe. This is one of those times.
2. Rather than flattening the dough, I rolled mine into balls. The result was a bite-size ANZAC Puff! So cute!
3. The mentor recipe asked for caster sugar (super fine sugar). Though it would be easy to just process white sugar to make it super fine, I used regular granulated sugar. Lazy? You decide.
4. Each cookie ball had a mass of 20 grams (see photo below).
5. Since the mentor recipe was British, the ingredients were listed in grams (g). I have a food scale that could handle this. Maybe you don't, so I have put the approximate U.S. equivalents in parentheses. Remember that there is not a straightforward conversion for dry ingredients used in baking since different ingredients have different weights. The US Standard of measuring dry ingredients relies on volume whereas the Metric System uses weight. There are quite a few conversion charts that can assist. Here's one.
6. I used quick oats.
7. No eggs are used in the preparation of these cookies, so they will last a while...but that'll never happen in my house :)
ANZAC Puffs
(mentor recipe here)
Yield: 25 puffs
85 g quick oats (1 cup)
85 g desiccated coconut (1 cup)
100 g self-rising flour ( 3/4 cup)
100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
100 g butter (7 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon golden syrup (I used Lyle's brand)
2 tablespoons boiling water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment (or use a silpat or grease the pan).
2. Combine the oats, coconut, flour, and sugar into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of these dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. In a small pan, melt the butter. Stir in the golden syrup and the boiling water.
4. Pour the butter mixture into the well of the dry ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are combined.
5. Using a spoon, scoop out a small amount and roll into a ball with a diameter of about 1.5 inches. See Notes above for more specifics.
6. Place on baking sheet, leaving about an inch between each puff.
7. Place the baking sheet into oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until tops are golden brown.
8. Remove from oven to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes to allow puffs to crisp up. Remove puffs from cookie sheet.
9. Repeat steps #5-#8 if there is more cookie dough to bake.
10. These cookies are yummy out of the oven... and still yummy with a bit of
