Cookies are just so cute when they pretend to be health food. Case in point: the ANZAC biscuit (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and both places share ownership of the cookie). On the surface, its oaty, nubbly appearance looks rather virtuous--but one bite will tell you the butter, sugar, and golden syrup-filled truth.
David Lebovitz makes them even better in his brilliant (and beautiful) book Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes
CakeSpy Note: I made these for a David Lebovitz-themed meeting of my cookbook club--to check out what other people made, check out Kairu's flickr stream!
Cranzac Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup golden syrup (or honey)
To top: About 1 cup vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting of your choosing
Procedure
- Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss together oats, brown sugar, flour, coconut, cranberries, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the water, melted butter, and syrup or honey until the dough is cohesive and moist.
- Using your hands, shape the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets and lightly flatten them with your hand. They should have about 1 inch of space on all sides to allow for light spreading.
- Bake, rotating the tray halfway through baking, until the cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets til firm, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.
- Once cool, top each with a dollop of frosting, and if you'd like, a cranberry piece on top for added cuteness.