An Expert’s Guide to Mastering the Art of Anzac Biscuits (Both Chewy and Crunchy)

An Expert’s Guide to Mastering the Art of Anzac Biscuits (Both Chewy and Crunchy)

Anzac Day is back for another year, and that means a couple of things: paying our respects to people who have served, and Anzac biscuits aplenty (here’s a recipe if you need it). If you’re looking at making a batch of biccies this year but aren’t feeling particularly confident in your baking game, we’re here to help with a handful of Anzac biscuits tips from UNCLE TOBYS Ambassador and former MasterChef contestant Hayden Quinn. 

Here’s what he believes is the secret to making the best biccies, every year.

How to make the best Anzac biscuits, according to Hayden Quinn

best anzac biscuits tips
Image supplied.

Before we dig in, we need to establish a couple of things. Do you prefer your Anzac biscuits chewy or crunchy? Quinn has different tips for each preference. 

Best crunchy Anzac biscuit tips

If you fall into the crunchy Anzac camp, Quinn suggests making a couple of amendments to your recipe in order to achieve the best possible crunch.

“If you prefer a crunchy Anzac biscuit, replace the caster sugar with brown sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes until very golden brown on the edges,” he shared over email.

“Allow to cool and firm up on the baking tray once removed from the oven.”

Then, once baked, don’t forget to let the biscuits cool on a wire rack.

“This allows for air to circulate all around the biscuit and cool/dry quickly giving them a nice crunch.”

Chewy tips

For those of you who prefer a chewy Anzac biscuit – the better of the options, in my view – Quinn shared the secret lies in the bake time.

“If you prefer a chewy Anzac biscuit, bake for 10-12 minutes until only lightly golden on the edges. They will be soft when removing from the oven, but firm up once cooled,” he explained.

Then, rather than moving the finished product to a wire rack, he suggested a slightly different cooling process.

“Once cooked, keep your Anzac biscuits on their baking tray and allow them to cool there. This will give you that chewy texture!”

The last tip he offered “if you love chewy like me,” is that you should bake them “ahead of time (hopefully you can hold out eating them)! A day or two will give them some time to ‘chewify’”. 

General baking tips for Anzac biscuits

Now that we have the specific chewy vs crunchy advice out of the way, Quinn also shared some general pointers to keep in mind when making these little treats.

All the below tips are from Hayden Quinn:

  • Make sure you purchase good-quality oats to give the right texture.
  • Anzac biscuits can be stored for one week in an airtight container at room temperature.
  • If your biscuits are falling apart or ‘melting’ when you are baking them, then you have added too much of the wet ingredients, or potentially too much sugar.
  • Don’t worry if you have never baked before or aren’t confident in baking from scratch, Anzac biscuits are super simple and made with easily accessible ingredients that come together in no time!
  • If you prefer your biscuit less sweet, add a pinch of sea salt flakes to counter the sweetness in the Anzac biscuit and the slight bitterness of the oats.

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