ANZAC is an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Choir, and if you’ve never had an ANZAC Biscuit, you’re in for a treat. These chewy, golden eggless oatmeal cookies have a storied past and a unique flavor that sets them apart from your typical oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip. I made this small batch recipe years ago and still come back to it every time the craving hits.
What Are ANZAC BISCUITS?
ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and these biscuits (or cookies, if you're in the U.S.) were originally baked and sent to soldiers during World War I. The traditional ANZAC Biscuits recipe was designed to withstand long journeys, so there are no eggs, and the ingredients hold up well over time. They're a symbol of comfort, resilience, and remembrance, especially around ANZAC Day, observed on April 25 each year.
Traditional Ingredients
The traditional ANZAC Biscuit recipe includes rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, baking soda, and the star of the show: Lyle’s Golden Syrup. If you’ve never baked with golden syrup before, it’s a thick, amber-colored syrup made from cane sugar with a buttery, caramel-toffee flavor. While dark corn syrup works in a pinch, golden syrup gives these cookies their signature richness.
You can usually find Lyle’s Golden Syrup in the British section of larger grocery stores, at World Market, or online. Once you try it, you'll want to start experimenting with it in other baked goods too.
Small Batch ANZAC
My version is a small batch recipe, perfect when you're not baking for an army. It makes a dozen cookies—just enough to enjoy fresh without too much temptation sitting around. If you do want to make more, it’s easy to double or triple the recipe.
These cookies come together in minutes. They’re chewy in the center with crisp, golden edges, and the flavor is deeply satisfying in a humble, old-fashioned way.
Why These Cookie Deserve a Comeback
ANZAC Biscuits are eggless oatmeal cookies that just happen to be dairy-rich, freezer-friendly, and easy to customize. They work great as lunchbox treats, tea-time snacks, or something nostalgic to bake when you’re craving a little warmth from the oven.
Whether you're celebrating ANZAC Day, baking for a care package, or just exploring traditional Australian and New Zealand recipes, these cookies are a must-try.
Small Batch
This is a small batch recipe, so if baking for an army you will no doubt want to double, triple or quadruple the recipe. But alas, I've yet to bake these for a large group and have only tested this little version which makes just enough for the family. Or go the opposite route and make a half batch of this small batch. Since these are eggless oatmeal cookies, it's pretty easy to just weigh out half of everything on the scale and shape into six balls of dough.
ANZAC Biscuits from Cookies by the Dozen
There are a lot of ANZAC Biscuit recipes out there, but I always go back to this one. An old book called Cookies By The Dozen is the original source. It's what I'd call a vintage cookbook now, and if you find it in a used book store or even in the library consider yourself lucky.
Grab the ingredients!
- 1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)
- ½ cup (60 grams) flour (weigh or measure with a light hand)
- ⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons (60 grams) salted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup or Dark Corn Syrup
- 1 teaspoon very hot water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the cookies, you'll preheat the oven to 325F. Next step, mix the dry ingredients. Add melted butter and stir, then stir in a mixture of Golden Syrup, hot water and vanilla. Drop by tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the pan so that the cookies will bake evenly. Let cool on pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe
ANZAC Biscuits from Cookies by the Dozen
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats (100 grams)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (60 grams)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (65 grams)
- Pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted (56-60 grams)
- 3 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup or Dark Corn Syrup
- 1 teaspoon very hot water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and put rack in highest position.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
- Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is moist and clumpy.
- Combine syrup, hot water and vanilla and add all at once to clumpy oatmeal mixture. Stir to blend.
- Drop by tablespoons onto a lined cookie sheet. Gently press down mounds to make fat patties. Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through for even baking. Note: You may need to bake the cookies longer. Go by color. They should be very golden.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Randi says
have you had that cookbook for a long time? Its out of print and its so expensive to get it used.
Anna says
Hi Randi,I don't own the book. I pretend the copy residing on the shelves of the Austin Public Library belongs to me and that the library employees are its nannies/guardians. I could steal the book and pay less for it than if I were to buy it used on Amazon, but I'm not a real Abbie Hoffman follower so I don't resort to those tactics.
Sweetnicks says
Thanks for the recipe! I made them last night, and gave you a shout-out on my site. Very yummy!
jtoepfert100 says
This reminds me, I've got a step-cousin (if there is such a thing) that was recently sent to Saudi Arabia. I've been meaning to bake up a whole mess of stuff to send - these look like a perfect addition!
Anna says
Joe, Cooking Light also has an ANZAC recipe. Ms. Chevious pointed it out to me yesterday, so we should try it.Jeff, that would be cool if you adopted your mom's best friend's son. If I can get my act together and send cookies to Iraq, I'll post responses from the soldiers.
Jeff says
What a great idea! My Mom's best friend's son just left for Iraq a few weeks ago, so we may have to do something similar.
Joe says
I keep seeing Anzac biscuits in the store and have been intrigued to find out what they taste like. I think i'll have to try a couple recipes myself to find out! They look good!