BOC Blogger Open Studio – From our family to yours

I don’t know about you, but when I think autumn and cooler weather, cold mornings, leaves turning, I think of comfort food. You know the sort. Hot chocolate, stew, and oatmeal for breakfast.

For many years our family lived in Australia. So we’ve a bit of a blended tradition of holidays and customs. One of my favourite Australian classics is the ANZAC biscuit. Now biscuit probably isn’t what you are thinking. Biscuit is a cookie here in the United States. And ANZAC biscuits are a type of oatmeal cookie. ANZAC is an acronym for Australia New Zealand Army Corps and one of the commonly held notions is that ANZAC biscuits originated as a recipe for cookies that could be sent over seas, without spoiling, to loved ones serving in WWI. Whatever the origin of this biscuit, they are without equal in my humble opinion. Crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, sinfully rich in butter and super simple to make. And that’s about the extent of what I know how to do with the oven. We seriously have no idea if these spoil. They never last very long.

ANZAC Biscuits

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda


In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, and coconut.

Combine the baking soda and boiling water in a small bowl to dissolve, and set aside. In a small pan, melt the butter and stir in the golden syrup. Once the syrup is mixed into the butter, stir in the baking soda and water mixture. Remove from heat and pour into the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients.

Stir until the dough forms. It should be moist and able to hold its shape. If too dry, add a few drops water. If too moist, add a sprinkle of flour.

Place rounded teaspoon of mixture on greased baking sheet generously spaced apart.

Place baking sheet into a preheated 300F degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until the biscuits are a deep golden brown on top. They will puff up during baking and once cooled will be quite thin. Makes about 2-3 dozen biscuits, depending on how big you make them and how much dough you eat before baking.

Now I know golden syrup is not familiar to most of us in the United States. But I substitute dark corn syrup with pretty good results. Not exactly the same, but passable. And if you are in Europe you can substitute treacle.

Falling leaves, Lorelei Eurto

Remember, there’s a 20% discount on everything in my Etsy shop from now until midnight. All you need to do is load up your cart, proceed all the way through checkout without paying at PayPal. I’ll email you a revised invoice through PayPal with your discount.

Be sure to check the tours and specials of the other Beads of Clay artists. Just click the photo in the top right and it will lead you to the links.

Thanks so much for coming by! I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour. I’ve certainly enjoyed myself.

And a really big thank you to Mary and Marsha for organizing this wonderful event!