Baking

Big and Chewy Orange Coconut Anzac Cookies

Anzac Cookies are a delicious mixture of oats, flour, coconut, dark brown sugar, maple syrup plus a few more things. I have added orange extract to brighten up the nutty flavours. In the middle of winter I just love a burst of orange! These Orange Coconut Anzac Cookies have a nice sweet, nutty taste.

Anzac cookies originated in Australia and New Zealand and were made popular during World War I. I had read for years that women would bake these cookies and send them to soldiers fighting on the front lines and that’s how they came by that name. However, this appears to be a myth. They were, however, baked for fundraisers back home to raise funds for the war effort. A connection was made between these cookies and soldiers fighting during the war, so they became known as Anzac Cookies.

orange maple anzac cookies on baking tray

Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and is protected under Australian law. Anzac cannot be used in Australia without permission from the Minister of Veterans Affairs, especially for commercial purposes.

These Big and Chewy Orange Coconut Anzac Cookies are made without eggs, and therefore keep quite well. You can make them chewy or crisp, but this recipe makes quite chewy cookies.

orange maple anzac cookies on cookie rack

After the cookies have cooled on the baking tray, you can transfer them to a cookie rack until they are completely cold.

So yummy. I make them big, so they’re quite chewy and almost bendable. They’re a perfect treat when you’re in the mood for something nutty and sweet. If you want to make vegan Orange Maple Anzac Cookies, swap up the butter for vegetable oil.

Super simple.

One of these cookies goes very well with a hot beverage on a cold wintery day.

Enjoy!

Suzanne

Print Recipe

Orange Coconut Anzac Cookies

Serves: 12

Cooking Time: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
100 grams butter
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp orange extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Stir together the dry ingredients.

Melt the butter in a small pot or in the microwave.

Add maple syrup to butter.

Add baking soda to 2 Tbsp boiling water.

Pour baking soda mixture into butter and maple syrup.

Add the orange extract to liquid ingredients.

In a large bowl, add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Stir well to incorporate.

Divide dough into 12 pieces, around 48 grams each.

Shape each piece into a ball and place on lined baking sheet.

Leave 1.5" inches between cookies, as they will spread.

Flatten slightly.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden around edges and slightly soft in the middle.

Leave on baking tray to cool.

Then transfer to wire rack.

After they have cooled they should be bendable and soft and chewy.

Notes

To make this recipe vegan or dairy-free, replace the melted butter with a liquid oil of your choice.

11:40 am

Cooking

Mango and Coconut Porridge Recipe

I love oats. They are probably my favourite grain. I love them in bread, muffins, cookies as well as cooked for breakfast. If you browse through my blog, you’re going to find a lot of recipes using oats.

I especially love oats for breakfast. I think they make the most healthiest and filling breakfasts whether they are in granola or this recipe for porridge. When I make porridge, I don’t add any sweeteners. Instead I love to pile in loads of fruit. I use fresh fruit and berries in the summer, but in the winter when it’s hard to find fresh fruit or they are super expensive, I use frozen fruit.

My usual mix of fruit is mango, blueberry and sweet cherries, but one day I only had mango. So, I just used what I had and couldn’t believe how perfectly mango goes with oats. Who would have guessed? Traditional porridge is usually cooked with raisins and brown sugar and served with an extra splash of maple syrup. But the smooth sweet flavour of tropical mango balances so well with nutty tasting oats, it’s like they were meant to go together. And forget the added sweetener: mangoes are so naturally sweet, you won’t need any.

Different Types of Oats

Steel-Cut: These are also known as Irish or Scottish Oats and are the closest to their original grain form. The oat kernel is cut one or two times to help it cook. Cooking steel-cut oats can take between 15-60 minutes. They are nutty, chewy and very nutritious.

Rolled Oats: Whole Oats are toasted, hulled, steamed and then flattened with giant rollers. Rolled oats take about 15-20 minutes to cook.

Quick Cooking Oats: These are similar to rolled oats, but have been cut before being steamed and flattened so they cook quicker. Try sprinkling some in muffins or pancake batter to add an extra texture.

Instant: These oats cook very quick. They are cut, pre-cooked, dried, steamed and flattened. They cook super fast, but because they’re been processed so much a lot of their nutrition has been lost.

Oat Flour: You can make oat flour by putting rolled oats in a blender or food processor. They add a nutty flavour to baked goods, as well as making them more moist and crumbly. You can substitute up to 30% of flour in a recipe with oat flour. Try it the next time you bake some muffins and see how you like it.

Oat Bran: This comes from the outer layer of the oat kernel. Whole Oats always contain oat bran, quick cooking or instant oats do not contain oat bran as it has been removed. Oat bran is high in fibre and is often eaten as a hot cereal, sprinkled on cold cereal or added to bread, cookies and muffins for extra fibre.

Not only are oats delicious they are also super healthy. If you are also an oat lover, here are some cool nutrition facts about oats:

oats are low in calories and they slow digestion which helps you feel full longer.
1/2 cup of oats has 150 calories, 5 g of protein, 27 g of carbs, 2 grams of fat and 4 grams of fibre.
oats help prevent constipation as they contain both soluble and insoluble fibre.
dietary fibres in oats decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) without affecting good cholesterol (HDL)
oats contain enterolactone and other plant lignans which protect against heart disease.
according to the American Cancer Society, lignan in oats also helps reduce the chances of hormone related cancers such as breast, prostate and ovarian cancer.

Enjoy cooking and baking with oats!

If you enjoy oats as much as I do, here is some additional reading:

A BBC Podcast on Oats

Stoats: A company focused on Oats

Baking with Oats

Print Recipe

Mango and Coconut Porridge

Serves: 1

Cooking Time: 5-8 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup Whole Oats
1 cup Water
Milk (or milk alternative)
Mangoes
Unsweeneted Shredded Coconut (toasted)

Instructions

Toast coconut in a dry pan for a few minutes until golden.

Add whole oats to pot and add the water.

Bring to a boil, and cook on a low simmer for about 5-8 minutes until oats are soft. If it starts to look too thick, add a bit more water until you have the consistency you prefer.

Add about 1/4 cup of milk or milk alternative. (optional).

Pour into a serving bowl.

Add sliced mangoes and toasted coconut on top.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

4:48 pm