The sugar you choose and the cooking time can be used to vary the texture of Anzac biscuits. However to be called an Anzac biscuit commercially, biscuits must adhere to the Department of Veteran Affairs guidelines on shape and ingredients, guidelines that we like to honour in our renditions. Caster sugar will create a crisper biscuit due to the finer crystals and lower moisture content, but it deviates from the original recipe which featured brown sugar which contributes to the caramel taste.
To create perfectly round biscuits, while the biscuits are hot, use a cookie cutter 1cm larger than the size of the biscuits and swirl to neaten and even the edges.
Baking ratio
Baking is all about ratios, up one ingredient and it can potentially throw another out, decrease it and the same thing can happen. That’s why our Test Kitchen team know the importance of a trusted tested recipe and accurately measured ingredients, especially for Anzac biscuits, where subtle variations in a quantity of an ingredient impact the biscuits spread and/or consistency.
Chewy Anzac biscuits: cooking time is the key
The good news is you don’t need to tinker with the ingredients to get the texture you prefer, only the cooking time. Just as with chocolate brownies, variations in cooking time can mean the difference between a chewier or firmer Anzac biscuit.
If an Anzac biscuit recipe already specifies that it is chewy in the recipe title, then no alterations to the cooking time are necessary, unless your preference is for a crunchy biscuit.
- Chewy Anzac Biscuits – cook for 12 minutes
- Crisper Anzac biscuits – cook for 15 minutes
How to store
Since Anzac biscuits included brown sugar and golden syrup, both hydroscopic ingredients, that attract moisture, they are naturally prone to soften over time. To maintain crispness, cool biscuits completely on a wire rack then pack into an airtight container. If they soften, return to the oven to firm again.
Chewy Anzac biscuits recipe
Use one of these recipes for a chewy Anzac biscuit. Tweak the cooking time for a crunchier biscuit, as outlined above.
