They may not be ‘true blue’ but these Anzac biscuits are truly delicious

Former book designer, cafe owner, and now food writer Guy Mirabella sees recipes as a way to explore bigger ideas.

His latest cookbook, Pranzo, a collection of Sicilian(ish) recipes and stories, includes a version of Anzac biscuits that strays so far from tradition that Mirabella even considered calling them “oat biscotti”.

“I don’t want to disrespect the Anzac biscuit, but this was my way of taking it somewhere else for a bit,” he says.

His recipe includes sesame seeds, a nod to his family roots in Sicily, where the seeds often flavour sweet dishes. Ground ginger acknowledges the Asian influences that now shape Australian cuisine. And date syrup crept in after a chat with a vegan friend about healthier alternatives to refined sugar and honey.

Mirabella says he’s been baking Anzacs for years, always trialling different ideas. “When we had the cafe [Shop Ate in Mount Eliza, Victoria], we mucked around with Anzacs like you wouldn’t believe.”

And while the version he settled on for Pranzo may not be “true blue”, the additions are truly delicious.

Roslyn Grundy, Good Food recipe editor

Anzac biscuits

INGREDIENTS

• 300g (2 cups) plain flour
• 135g (1½ cups) desiccated coconut
• 200g (2 cups) rolled oats
• 80g (½ cup) sesame seeds
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 95g (½ cup) soft brown sugar
• 95g (½ cup) dark muscovado sugar
• 250g salted butter, chopped
• 2 tbsp date syrup
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 80ml (⅓ cup) boiling water

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 150C fan-forced (170C conventional). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Put the flour, coconut, oats, sesame seeds, ginger and both sugars in a large bowl and mix with your hands to combine.
3. Heat the butter and date syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat until melted and stir to combine. Put the bicarbonate of soda in a small bowl, add the boiling water and mix well. Add this to the melted butter mixture in the pan, it will fizz up a little, then pour it over the dry ingredients and stir to combine well.
4. Roll the mixture into balls about the size of an egg, then place them on the prepared baking tray. Use the palm of your hand to gently press down on the biscuits to flatten them.
5. Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Allow them to cool on the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. I like a crisp Anzac, but if you prefer a chewy Anzac do not flatten them as much and cook for 12-15 minutes.

Makes 20

This is an edited extract from Pranzo by Guy Mirabella (Hardie Grant Books), RRP $60. Available in stores nationally. Photography by Guy Mirabella.