These Anzac Biscotti have the crunchiness of biscotti and the flavors of Anzac biscuits – the perfect sweet snack for picnics, tailgates, or potlucks!
The doors and windows are open on this warm summer evening and the neighborhood children are outside playing in the dusky air. I love the sound of children’s laughter. There is no more purely happy expression. Their joy is contagious.
It reminds me of long summer evenings playing with my friends until my mother called for us to come home. Skipping back in the dwindling light, hands clasped with my best friend our arms swinging broadly between us, until the last possible moment before we broke apart and headed into our front doors. Incredibly reluctant to part even though we knew we would play together all day tomorrow.
Today’s theme for Food Network’s #SummerSoiree is Packable Desserts. To me that means sweet treats that are easy to take on picnics, to potlucks and parties and that would easily fit in a kid’s lunchbox. Something that you don’t have to worry about keeping cold, that wouldn’t melt in the heat, and would stand up to being transported to the beach, park, or swimming pool.
I recently saw a recipe for biscotti and I was intrigued. I wondered if I could take the flavors of one of my favorite cookies, Anzacs, convert them to gluten-free, and successfully make biscotti, The Artist’s absolute favorite. Could I blend the two into one cookie that we both would fight over? Oh yeah, I could!
The original ANZAC biscuits were designed for the Australian-New Zealand military forces, full of healthy and delicious ingredients that don’t spoil easily and keep well during transportation. With oatmeal and coconut as the primary ingredients, these are a sweet treat that really satisfies.
I first discovered Anzac cookies when I saw them in a shop in St. Helena, in the Napa Valley. One bite and I was hooked. They are pleasingly sugary but the oatmeal helps balance the sweetness and the protein keeps you from having a major sugar crash.
One of the “secret” ingredients in these cookies is Golden Syrup. An English creation, it is a natural cane sugar syrup, cooked until thick and deep golden brown. The stickiness helps hold everything together and also makes it a bit tough to handle, but a little water on your hands and you can make the dough any shape you want! It has a clean flavor, sweet with just a touch of caramel. If you can’t find it, you can use honey or light corn syrup with a little light molasses.
Wrap a couple of biscotti together for each serving and tuck them in your kid’s lunchbox or the picnic basket. Summer just got a little sweeter!
These are really lovely cookies – crunchy with a slightly chewy center. I definitely recommend you double the recipe because one batch just isn’t enough!
I hope you have a chance to give these Anzac Biscotti a try soon and fall in love with them just like the Artist and I have!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Anzac Biscotti:
- Gluten-free flour blend, hazelnut meal/flour, brown sugar
- Gluten-free rolled oats, unsweetened dried coconut, sugar
- Salt, Golden Syrup/honey/corn syrup, eggs, orange zest
PRO Tip:
Whenever you are working with sticky doughs, moistening your hands with water helps you form it any way you want without most of it sticking to your hands.
How to make Anzac Biscotti:
- Mix together the flour, hazelnut meal, oats, and coconut; in the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, salt, Golden Syrup, eggs, and orange zest until pale yellow, about 2 minutes
- Add the flour mixture and stir until just blended and all the dry ingredients have been moistened; cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes
- Divide the dough into two pieces and place on either end of a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet; using wet hands, pat into two rectangles about 1/2-inch thick
- Bake at 325°F until lightly browned at the edges, fairly firm in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes; remove from the oven and cool about 5 minutes or until barely cool enough to handle
- Slide the cookies onto a cutting board and using a long, serrated knife slice into 1/2-inch slices and arrange the cut biscotti cut side up on the baking sheet; bake until pale golden, 10 to 25 minutes longer, the longer they bake, the crispier they will be
- Cool on a wire rack until thoroughly cooled before transferring to an airtight container to store
PRO Tip:
When measuring any sticky substance, spray the spoon or cup with nonstick spray or oil them first and everything will slide right out!
PRO Tip:
Using a serrated knife to cut the cookies seems to work the best. I like my granton-edge slicing knife, but any long knife will work. Use a sawing motion and don’t press down too hard or they may break on you.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or Silpat
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cutting board
- Long knife, preferably with a Granton edge
- Wire rack
Gluten-Free Tips:
By adding a little hazelnut meal (or almond meal) as a portion of the total flour weight, you can boost the flavor and protein content as well as adding texture. The hazelnut meal and oatmeal make these a healthier choice for your little ones who cannot eat regular gluten-full cookies.
You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the recipe hasn’t changed and is no longer safe.
Anzac Biscotti (Gluten-Free)
These Anzac Biscotti have the crunchiness of biscotti and the flavors of Anzac biscuits - the perfect sweet snack for picnics, tailgates, or potlucks!
Ingredients
- 115 gr (3/4 cup) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- 24 gr (1/4 cup) gluten-free hazelnut meal/flour
- 90 gr (1 cup) gluten-free rolled oats/oatmeal
- 75 gr (1 cup) unsweetened, dried coconut
- 100 gr (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 100 gr (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1 tbsp golden syrup, honey, corn syrup, or agave nectar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp grated orange zest, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. It is better not to butter the sheet with this dough - you want a drier consistency in the final product.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, hazelnut meal, oats, and coconut. Stir until evenly blended.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the sugars, salt, golden syrup, eggs, and orange zest (if using) together until pale yellow, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the flour mixture and mix just until blended and all the dry ingredients have been moistened. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover loosely with plastic wrap, set in the refrigerator and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This gives the flours, starches, and oats a chance to more fully absorb the liquids. Note: This is a good idea for nearly all gluten-free baked goods and makes them easier to handle.
- Using moist hands, divide the dough into two equal-size pieces* and place on either end of the lined baking sheet. Wet your hands again and form each piece into rectangles about 1/2-inch thick. Place in the hot oven and bake until lightly browned around the edges, fairly firm when you gently press in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven on.
- Cool cookies for 5 minutes or until just barely cool enough to handle. Pick up one end of the parchment paper and carefully slide it with the cookie logs onto a cutting board. Gently holding each piece in place with a hot pad, use a serrated knife to cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side up back onto the baking sheet.
- Bake until the cookies are pale golden, 10 to 25 minutes longer. The crispiness is up to you - the longer you bake them on the second bake, the crunchier they become. For little children, softer will probably be more popular.
- Slide the parchment with the cookies onto a wire rack. Let cool completely before transferring to an airtight container, such as a cookie tin, to store.
- *I formed the dough into a single rectangle and the cookies were too hard to handle. Some of them broke in half, so they would be a lot easier if you worked with smaller rectangles.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
Inspired by a recipe by Easily Good Eats
I prefer my biscotti to be a little softer because I don’t soak them in espresso before eating, the way the Italians do. So, I only do the preliminary bake and rarely bake them after I have sliced them.
You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 3457Total Fat: 87gSaturated Fat: 59gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 667mgCarbohydrates: 595gFiber: 49gSugar: 111gProtein: 77g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to follow me on social media so you never miss a post:
Create a New Tradition Today!
This recipe is part of Food Network’s weekly Sensational Sides. See the links below for more inspiration and great recipes!
The Lemon Bowl: 5 Ingredient No-Bake Fig Newton Bites
Dishing: Caramelized Pineapple with Mint
Weelicious: Raspberry Cheesecake Jars
Virtually Homemade: Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Salted Brownies
The Heritage Cook: Anzac Biscotti (you are here)
Taste With The Eyes: Cherimoya Brulee
Devour: The 5 Best Picnic Sweets
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Chambord Raspberries
Red or Green: Healthy Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Cooking With Elise: Salted Caramel Brownies
Swing Eats: S’Mores Bars (Gluten-Free)
Domesticate Me: Summer Berry Parfaits with Vanilla Bean Ricotta and Toasted Almonds
Dishin & Dishes: Triple Berry Pretzel Salad Dessert in a Jar
Food For 7 Stages of Life: Oats and Peanut Laddoo (No Bake Energy Bites)
Bacon and Souffle: Mason Jar Overnight Oats
In Jennie’s Kitchen: The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
FN Dish: Make-and-Take Picnic Desserts
Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in June 2014. The article was updated in 2022.
