Healthy Anzac Biscuits (gluten-free and vegan)

What Makes These Healthy Anzac Biscuits?

• No golden syrup: Instead of golden syrup, this recipe calls for maple syrup, which is a natural, unrefined sweetener. 
• No dairy: Instead of butter use coconut oil or vegan butter. 
• No gluten: Instead of regular flour, use oat flour or buckwheat flour. 
• No refined sugar: I use coconut sugar instead of regular white or brown sugar. 

Ingredient Notes

• Rolled Oats: Add texture and that beautiful chew to the cookie! Use rolled oats for best results, and if you’re gluten-free like I am, make sure to opt for gluten-free certified oats.
• Desiccated Coconut: Sometimes also called shredded coconut. I like to use unsweetened coconut, as we are adding sweetener to the recipe! This also adds a nice texture and natural sweetness and gives the cookie its signature Anzac flavour.
• Oat Flour (or buckwheat or other GF flour): In place of regular flour, I’m using oat flour, but I have also baked these with buckwheat flour and they work wonderfully!
• Coconut Sugar: This is the granulated sweetener I’ve used, however brown sugar or cane sugar will also work.
• Coconut Oil: You can also use vegan butter in place of coconut oil. 
• Maple Syrup: A touch of maple syrup, or liquid sweetener, is essential to create the sort of caramelization that occurs in these cookies. We’re only adding an additional 2 tbsp, it’s mostly for the texture of the cookie.
• Baking Soda: You know, for the science of baking. Be aware there’s an added step in this recipe–dissolving the baking soda in water before using. Make sure you do this as it’s a classic technique used in all traditional Anzac cookie recipes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees while you prepare your batter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, coconut, flour and sugar. Separately, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
3. Melt coconut butter until liquid, and add maple syrup to combine over low heat. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and use a spatula or hands to combine. Add dissolved baking soda liquid and mix until a dough forms. If the mixture feels dry, you can add hot water by half a tablespoon as needed.
4. Take about 2 heaped tablespoons of dough and form large circular cookie shapes. Flatten with the bottom of a glass cup, or use your hands to thin it out. Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes (mine were ready at about 11 minutes) and let them cool completely before enjoying them.

Secrets to Success

• For the flour, you can use buckwheat flour, oat flour, or regular all-purpose flour (if you’re not allergic to gluten). I’ve tried chickpea flour, which works, but does add a slight extra nutty-ness to the recipe.
• As always, I recommend using a non-stick baking mat to line your baking trays for the best results. It will not only ensure an even bake but also makes for less clean-up and no cookies stuck to the pan! As an alternative, use parchment paper (baking paper).
• I made my cookies fairly large, with 2 heaped tablespoons of dough per cookie. If you do the same, make sure to flatten the cookie so it bakes evenly!
• Feel free to add additional bake time if you prefer your cookies more on the crisp side.

Storage Tips

• Store your healthy Anzac biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.