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Missing from the latest Cook’s Companion, Stephanie Alexander’s Anzac biscuit is more than a recipe. It’s a lesson in history, maths, language and STEM.
For many Australian households, Stephanie Alexander’s book The Cook’s Companion is the ultimate kitchen bible. Yet she recently discovered that one of her best-loved recipes had been accidentally omitted from the latest edition.
More than just a lunchbox staple, these biscuits are a cornerstone of Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden Program. For students across 1000 schools, baking this eggless, golden treat to commemorate Anzac Day offers hands-on “pleasurable food education”.
It is a lesson that seamlessly weaves together maths, STEM, language and history – a delicious way to connect with the resilient biscuits once sent to soldiers at war.
You’ll need metric measuring scales, spoons and cups, a large saucepan, two mixing bowls (1 large, 1 small), a mixing spoon and two baking trays.
Ingredients
125g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
Step 2
Combine the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl and create a well in the centre.
Step 3
Melt the butter and golden syrup in the large saucepan over a low heat.
Step 4
Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the boiling water in the small bowl, add to the saucepan and stir in, then turn off the heat.
Step 5
Pour the liquid mixture from the saucepan into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Mix until you have a moist but firm consistency.
Step 6
Drop teaspoons of the biscuit mixture onto your baking trays, allowing plenty of space for the biscuits to spread.
Step 7
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to firm up.
This is an edited version of the recipe shared with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation – a not-for-profit organisation established in 2004 to teach children how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh food.
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For more details about the foundation or to donate, visit kitchengardenfoundation.org.au
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