Healthy Anzac Biscuits are our favourite cookie recipe from Australia and New Zealand.
Our homemade vegetarian Anzac Biscuits are made with rolled oats, shredded coconut, whole wheat flour, butter, brown sugar, coffee, honey, vanilla extract, orange zest and baking soda.
The cookies turn a golden brown after baking in the oven and offer a pleasant crunchy exterior and chewy interior.
Our Healthy Anzac Biscuits recipe is quick & easy to make, ready to serve in under 30 minutes!
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What Are Anzac Biscuits?
The Anzac biscuit is a sweet cookie, popular in Australia and New Zealand, traditionally made with rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden corn syrup, baking soda, boiling water, and shredded coconut.
Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps established in World War I. Anzac Day is celebrated each year in April.
It has been claimed that biscuits were sent by wives and women’s groups to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.
The first recorded instance of the combination of the name ‘Anzac biscuit’ and the recipe now associated with it was found in Adelaide dating to the early 1920s.
Because of their historical military connection with the ANZACs and Anzac Day, the popular biscuits are still used as a fundraising tool for the Royal New Zealand Returned Services’ Association (RSA) and the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL).
We’ve made a Healthy Anzac Biscuits recipe by using fibre and nutrient rich whole wheat flour and oats, substituting golden corn syrup for honey, reducing the amount of butter by moistening the dough with coffee and adding orange zest.
Travel to Oceania by BakingHealthy Anzac Biscuits at Home
I love traveling to Oceania.
My first visit to the region was an epic backpacking adventure, which had me eating my way through Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tahiti.
As a professional food and travel journalist I’ve had the opportunity to eat at some of the best restaurants in Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, The Mornington Peninsula, The Barossa Valley, Sydney, Manly, Melbourne, Surfers Paradise, Noosa, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Wellington, Taupo, Waitomo, Rotorua, Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Franz Josef, Nelson, Akaroa, and Christchurch.
I was lucky to find myself living in Brisbane with a family in April who took a holiday in Noosa to celebrate Anzac Day. I immediately became obsessed with Anzac Biscuits as they tasted like the best oatmeal cookie ever made!
After returning from a vacation to Australia or New Zealand, bake Healthy Anzac Biscuits for friends and family to share a traditional taste of Anzac Day.
Health Benefits
Our Healthy Anzac Biscuits recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Whole wheat flour is rich in vitamins B-1, B-3, and B-5, along with riboflavin and folate. It also has more iron, calcium, protein, and other nutrients than white flour.
Proving more soluble fibre than any other grain, oats also contain slow-release, low-GI carbohydrates. Oats are also rich in beta-glucan, which helps reduce high cholesterol and maintain blood sugar levels, and vitamin B1, which helps your body convert food into energy.
Oranges are known as an excellent source of Vitamin C, vital for the proper function of a healthy immune system.
Coconut is rich in fibre and may also offer a number of benefits including improved heart healthy and digestion. It is high in calories and sautéed fat so be sure to eat in moderation.
Join Dobbernationloves founder Andrew Dobson in the kitchen by signing up for a fun virtual cooking class! Classes begin with a cocktail that you can sip while preparing 2-3 recipes that are curated around a unique culinary theme. Check out our current Cooking Class Schedule!
Healthy Anzac Biscuits Recipe Baking Tips
If it’s your first time baking Anzac Biscuits at home be sure to review our detailed step-by-step recipe below. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get you started.
- This cookie recipe is prepared uniquely by toasting the oats and coconut in a large nonstick skillet.
- We suggest using a high quality rubber spatula so you can easily scrape down the cookie dough.
- Place parchment paper or Silpat on your baking sheet to ensure the biscuits don’t stick or burn.
- Let Healthy Anzac Biscuits rest on a cooling rack before serving.
What To Serve with Anzac Biscuits
There’s no better time to serve Anzac Biscuits than at an Anzac Day Party!
Stack the chewy cookies on a plate or spread them across a tray as an easy dessert that requires no utensils and minimal cleanup.
You can also serve a decadent ice cream sundae by placing one of the cookies in a bowl and topping with your favourite roasted nuts and ice cream. Kids love Anzac Biscuit Ice Cream Sandwiches. Simply smush two Anzac Biscuits between a scoop of ice cream and serve.
Healthy Anzac Biscuits can be enjoyed all year round. We especially like to serve them at holiday cookie swaps. You may also enjoy some of our other cookie recipes like:
- Vegan Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Crispy & Chewy Gay Pride Skittles Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies
- Chewy Easter Toffee Cadbury Mini Egg Cookie Bars
- Healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Gevulde Speculaas Dutch Cherry Almond Spice Cookies
- Oat Flour Cookies with Chocolate Chips
- Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Toffee Walnut Cookies
Storing Cookies
If you have leftovers cookies, slip them into tupperware containers or zip lock bags and store in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze leftover biscuits for up to 3 months.
You May Also Enjoy These Dessert Recipes…
- Tropical Coconut Mango Ice Cream Sundae
- Chocolate Chip Caramel Banana Nut Ice Cream Recipe
- Espresso Coffee Java Chip Ice Cream
- Christmas Cranberry and White Chocolate Muffins
- Gianduja Lindt Lindor Chocolate Cake
- Festive Fresh Fig Frangipane Pistachio Tartlets
- Caribbean Coconut Rum Banana Bread Bundt Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Muffin Tops
- Mahalabia Middle Eastern Rose Pistachio Milk Pudding
- Maple Black Walnut Ice Cream
- Sweet Lebanese Sesame Tahini Rolls
- Swedish Ricotta Oatmeal Rhubarb Bars
- Flaky Swedish Rhubarb Cherry Pie
- Chocolate Chip Caramel Banana Nut Ice Cream
- Turmeric Pumpkin Spice Indian Cake
- Kardemummabullar Swedish Cardamom Buns
How To Make Healthy Anzac Biscuits
Healthy Anzac Biscuits
Equipment
- Nonstick Skillet
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- spatula
- mixing bowl
- Large Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups Rolled Oats
- 1 1/4 cups Shredded Coconut
- 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 2/3 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar packed
- 1/4 cup Brewed Coffee
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Grated Orange Zest
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 F with racks in upper and middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, toast the oats, stirring until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add coconut. Toast until golden, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the flour. Wipe out the skillet.
- Return the skillet to medium low and add the butter, sugar, coffee, honey, vanilla and orange zest. Cook, whisking, until the butter melts and the mixture boils. Off heat, add the baking soda and stir until completely combined. Add the oatmeal mixture and stir until combined.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough, spaced 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies have risen and are golden brown but still soft at the centre, 8-9 minutes. Switch and rotate the pans half way through to ensure even baking.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool.
Nutrition
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