Anzac biscuits: Hayden Quinn’s favourite recipe and if he likes Anzac biccies to be chewy or crunchy

Australia and New Zealand, made using rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda, boiling water, and desiccated coconut. Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps established in World War I.

For this reason, the biscuits are popular in Australia and New Zealand and it’s often a ritual for many families to get baking on Anzac Day.

Aussie foodie, Hayden Quinn is best known for appearing on Series 3 of MasterChef and as a judge on Family Food Fight.

Here, Hayden weighs in on the classic debate:

Chewy vs Crunchy 

My favourite type of Anzac biscuit is definitely the chewy! I just love when you get that sweet, slightly soft but still chewy texture. I think if the biscuit is crunchy it has been cooked too long and gets a little bitter. When it is soft and chewy it is super sweet and moreish.

I love it when they get stuck to your teeth. If you are like me and love a chewy Anzac biscuit, bake for 10-12 minutes until only lightly golden on the edges. They will be soft when removing from the oven but firm up once cooled.

However, if crunchy is more your preference, replace the caster sugar with brown sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes until very golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool and firm up on the baking tray once removed from the oven.

Hayden’s top Anzac biscuits baking hacks

• Ensure you buy good-quality oats to give your Anzac biscuits the right texture. For me, UNCLE TOBYS Traditional Rolled Oats work perfectly to make a delicious Anzac biscuit.
• Add a pinch of sea salt flakes before baking to counter the sweetness in the Anzac biscuit and the flavour of the oats.
• Spray your measuring spoon with a little cooking oil before scooping up the golden syrup to prevent sticking to the spoon.
• Brown your butter before adding to the other ingredients to give your biscuits an extra rich nuttiness and caramel flavour.
• Anzac biscuit dough will go dry quickly – it’s best to bake your biscuits as soon as you’ve finished making the dough.
• Anzac biscuits can be stored for one week in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Cooked Anzac biscuits can be frozen! Once completely cooled, freeze any leftover Anzac Biscuits in zip-lock bags and freeze for up to two months.

Traditional Anzac biscuits recipe

Makes: 15 biscuits
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 12 mins

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups of plain flour, sifted
1 cup UNCLE TOBYS Traditional Rolled Oats
½ cup caster sugar
¾ cup desiccated coconut
150g unsalted butter, chopped
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1½ tablespoons boiling water
½ teaspoon bicarb soda

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine.
3. In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted.
4. Mix the bicarb soda with 1½ tablespoons boiling water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat.
5. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly.
6. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.