Anzac Biscuits | The Third Day, the Frost

She was so good in the kitchen that she intimidated me a bit; I kept to the simplest cooking: scrambled eggs, lamb chops, pasta, Anzac biscuits.
The Third Day, the Frost
John Marsden

The Tomorrow, when the War Began series was a life changing one for myself when growing - and for most Australian's around my age group most likely. It was my first exposure to the now popular YA dystopian genre, where a group of young teenagers are forced to defend themselves and their country against invaders. Growing up in the middle of the countryside probably also helped me connect to the story itself - memories of camping on all holidays (before I came to the conclusion that camping was not for me, though maybe it is a trait of getting older, I would quite like a short camping trip now and then).

I had the joy in my teenage years of attending John Marsden's, the author of the Tomorrow series, writing camp. Spending a week on his bush property learning to write while exploring the areas that clearly influenced him when penning his own work. It was lovely, and the memories of it were probably what prompted me to pick the series up again last year, thankfully my housemate had the books I was missing from my collection and I was able to finish all within a few weeks.

Outside of the classics I read when quite young, Peter Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh, I don't think any other book has given me such clear nostalgia. Of course, no Australian penned book would be complete without mention of Anzac biscuits, a classic in the early months of the year, or really - any time of the year. I did actually make these around the Anzac day weekend, realising that I had all the necessary ingredients in my cupboard at the time. I'd forgotten just how delicious they were with a cup of tea. 

Anzac Biscuits
Makes approx. 15
Ingredients
150g plain flour
100g rolled oats
80g desiccated coconut
90g brown sugar
60g raw caster sugar
135g butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
2 tbsp water

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and line two baking sheets with baking paper.

2. Combine the flour, oats, coconut and both sugars together in a medium bowl.

3. Heat the butter, golden syrup and water together on a medium heat, until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the bicarb soda (it'll froth up a little) and add into the oat mixture, stirring until well mixed.

4. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls, placing them onto the baking trays - leaving about 5cms between them, pressing down on top of each ball to flatten them out. I tend to squish mine down quite a bit - I like them crispy and chewy - which does leave them a bit of a mess but still delicious!

5. Bake for around 10 - 12 minutes if you want them soft and chewy or 15 minutes if you prefer them crispy and crunchy. Leave to cool on the tray for about 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!