Whip up some Anzac biscuits - do you like them chewy or crunchy?

Using only basic ingredients and equipment, is there an easier treat to whip up than an Anzac biscuit?

Originally sent in food parcels to Australian and New Zealand troops stationed in Europe in World War I, they were designed to withstand the long trip while providing something home baked, comforting and a little sustaining for the soldiers.

Anneka Manning, founder of the face-to-face and online baking school BakeClub, is an Australian baking and cooking authority, and she shares her tips for making great Anzac biscuits.

"There is nothing quite like a good homemade Anzac biscuit," she says.

"By simply baking and sharing a batch, it's a great way of honouring our troops both past and present."

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170C. Line two large oven trays with baking paper.

2. Put the rolled oats, flour, coconut and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

3. Put the butter, water and golden syrup in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda and stir to combine - this mixture will foam. Add to the dry ingredients and stir with the wooden spoon until well combined.

4. Roll heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place about 7cm apart on the lined trays. Use your fingers or the bottom of a glass to flatten the balls until about 1cm thick and about 6cm in diameter.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, swapping the trays after 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Remove the biscuits from the oven and cool on the trays. Repeat with any remaining biscuit mixture.

Baker's tips:

To make chewy Anzac Biscuits, reduce the baking time to 15 minutes, swapping the trays around after eight minutes. For a more crisp biscuit, increase the baking time to 23-25 minutes.

These biscuits will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks (if they last that long!)

1. Choose the brand of oats for the texture you want. Rolled oats can vary enormously between brands and this can affect the final texture of your Anzacs. Some are thin-cut while some are much coarser. If you like your biscuits to have more texture and structure then go for the thick-cut oat brands.

2. Adjust your oven racks if necessary. With most Anzac biscuit recipes, you will be baking two trays of biscuits at the same time so you will need to make sure there is plenty of room not only above and below them but also in between them for the heat to circulate more evenly. To do this, put one rack about one third down from the top of the oven and the other about one third up from the bottom. You will also find swapping the trays around about half way through the baking time will help the biscuits bake and brown more evenly.

3. Don't let the mixture stand around. Once the wet ingredients have been combined with the dry ingredients, the resulting mixture will start to become thicker (oats are very efficient at absorbing moisture) and, if left for quite a while, even too dry to roll. So, make sure you roll and bake the mixture as soon as possible after mixing to make rolling and flattening of the biscuits easy. If it does get a little dry you can just mix in another tablespoon or two of water to help make it a little more pliable before shaping.

4. Leave enough room between biscuits for spreading. Anzac biscuits often spread quite a bit and it is easy to end up with one large misshaped biscuit if you don't leave enough room between them. About 7cm between each ball of mixture (for standard size biscuits) is a good amount of space but this will, of course, depend on the size of your Anzac biscuits - the larger the biscuits the more room you will need to leave.

5. Chewy or crunchy? Depending on how you like the texture of your Anzac biscuits, you can adjust the baking time to suit.Three to five minutes less baking will generally give you chewy Anzacs while the stated baking time, or a few minutes more, will make them deliciously crisp - perfect for dunking!

Bonus tip: Cool the biscuits on the tray. Anzac biscuits are quite soft when you first take them from the oven so just leave them on the trays to cool completely and firm up before removing them.

Reminiscent of the traditional and timeless Anzac biscuits, these morish treats have the addition of almond and sesame (for extra crunch) and mandarin (for a surprising flavour twist). This variation is not intended to be disrespectful of the Anzac spirit - just a modern variation to enjoy with a cuppa and to reflect on the legacy left and sacrifice made by our service men and women.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line two large oven trays with baking paper.

2. Put the rolled oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, almonds, sesame seeds and mandarin rind in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

3. Put the butter, treacle and water in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda and stir to combine - the mixture will foam. Add to the dry ingredients and stir with the wooden spoon until evenly combined.

4. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place about 5cm apart on the lined trays. Use your fingers or the bottom of a glass to flatten the balls until about 1cm thick.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, swapping the trays after 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Remove the biscuits from the oven and cool on the trays. Repeat with any remaining biscuit mixture.

Learn more from Anneka Manning:

As the founder of the baking community Bakeclub, Manning is opening the doors to BakeClub & Co., BakeClub's paid membership, offering you the chance to enjoy full access for free during the month of May. Enjoy recipes created especially for members, attend live technique masterclass, question and answer sessions and browse the ever-growing archive of recipes and resources. For more information head to bakeclub.com.au