On the 25th of April every year Aussies commemorate ANZAC Day and pay tribute to the brave soldiers who died in World War 1 during the Gallipoli campaign. During the war, loved ones from Australia would send oat biscuits to the troops stationed in Europe because they would ‘keep’ for so long and hence the beloved ANZAC biscuit was born.
I have been eating these my whole life and before turning vegan I used to make them the traditional way (melted butter and golden syrup). I’m pleased to say that giving them a vegan makeover was surprisingly easy! Of course, you could simply use the traditional recipe but melt vegan butter instead, however because I always like my bakes to be on the healthy side, I have developed a brand new recipe! And yes, the magic ingredient is peanut butter! Because of this delicious addition, I only use ¼ cup of olive oil so I feel like it’s a little kinder on the calories than the standard butter version. To make this recipe nut-free, simply replace the peanut butter with extra olive oil or coconut oil and instead of the almond meal, add extra flour! It’s a very adaptable recipe. I have also replaced the golden syrup with maple syrup (but I still use a little brown sugar as I love finding clumps of brown sugar throughout the biscuit!)
Apart from these changes, the biccies are still very much made the traditional way and they maintain the same level of deliciousness!
Ingredients: (Makes 12 large biscuits)
(Measurements are in UK cup sizes)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup coconut
- ½ cup plain flour (I use wholemeal)
- ¼ cup almond meal (or extra flour)
- ¼ cup flaxseed (or extra flour)
- ¾ cup Maple syrup (or ¼ cup maple syrup & ½ cup brown sugar)
- 120g nut butter (I use peanut butter but any kind will do)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp Bicarb
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (350f) or 160c fan forced
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place the oats, coconut, flour, flaxseed and almond meal in a bowl, stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Heat the nut butter, maple syrup and olive oil in a saucepan over low heat until smooth.
- Add the bicarb to the saucepan and then pour all on top of dry ingredients
- Once it’s all combined, roll into golf ball sized balls then flatten with the back of your hand or a spoon. Remember, the biscuits spread a little so leave room around them! If the mix isn’t wet enough add some hot water. Make sure your hands are wet otherwise the mix may stick to your hands!
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. I find that 17-18 minutes is the perfect time.
They will keep in a sealed container for a couple of weeks.