Anzac Day

Today is Anzac day. On this proud day of rememberence, it seemed only right to make Anzac biscuits - or similar. They were traditionally one of the food items baked at home to send to the soldiers overseas as they kept well for the long journey.

I recently came across this recipe for Anzac Slice - it uses all the same ingredients as the biscuits - flour, oats, coconut, golden syrup - but the quantities vary slightly to produce a tray bake.

Anzac Slice

1 cup sugar
1½ cups flour
1½ rolled oats
1½ dessicated coconut
150g margarine
1/3 cup golden syrup
1½ tbsp boiling water
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 175 C. Line a Brownie tin with baking paper.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Heat the syrup and margarine together until melted and smooth.
Add baking soda to the boiling water, Take the syrup mixture off the heat, and add the soda mixture. It will froth up quite a bit!

Add the wet mixture to the dry. If you have a food mixer, the result of the slice is bizarely soooo much better than mixing by hand. I first made this recipe, and just mixed by hand. The end result was nice, but a bit tough. When The Husband made it another time using the mixer, the result was devine! Chewy, fudgy, moist and yummy.

Transfer the mixture to the brownie tin, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and place on a rack to cool. Cut into square when cold.

Phoebe's fabulous oatmeal-raisin cookies

I was a huge fan of Friends in the '90s, and I still love watching the ever-lasting re-runs to this day. Phoebe made these cookies for Rachel. Rachel loves them, and wants to know why she's never tasted them before. Phoebe explains she doesn't make them very often as it's not fair on the other cookies! These cookies a firm fav with The Family.

Phoebe's fabulous oatmeal-raisin cookies

Makes 24 large cookies

12 tbsp softened butter (I measured 180ml in a cup measure)

3 /4 cup soft brown sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

1 1/4 cups plain flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 180C.
Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth.
Stir together oats, flour, baking powder and soda in a separate bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the batter until combined.
Add in the raisins.
Heap desertspoonfuls of the mixture onto lined baking sheets. Leave at least 5cm between each to allow room for spreading.
Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (I cooked mine for 12 minutes, for that lovely typical chewy American cookie).
Cool cookies on sheets for a few minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool further.