Well Nourished | Healthy Anzac Biscuit Recipe (2024)

April 19, 2013 | After School Snacks, Baked Sweets, Healthy Lunchbox

This is my healthy take on the traditional Anzac biscuit – it’s simple, full of nutrition and a perfect nut free lunch box filler. The nourishing whole grains improve nutrient values and the seeds pack in protein, minerals, and good fats. Cinnamon is wonderful for stabilising blood sugars as well as adding a lovely flavour. Also, check out my gluten, grain and dairy-free version, I promise you it’s just as good!

I recommend that you taste the uncooked batter to see if you think it is sweet enough before baking. If not, add the extra rapadura or brown sugar, dried fruit or even cacao nibs. You want to keep the sugar content as low as possible, but you also want your kids to like them enough to enjoy eating these delicious, nourishing treats.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.

Nourishing Anzac biscuit

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 20 minutes minutes

Total 35 minutes minutes

Serves: 15 biscuits

A delicious, quick and super nourishing take on the classic. This is one of the most popular sweet treats here at Well Nourished!

Ingredients

100 g butter
85 g rice malt syrup or honey (¼ cup)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
30 g coconut sugar or rapadura (¼ cup) this is optional if you need extra sweetness
60 g wholemealspeltflour (½ cup)
50 g desiccated coconut (½ cup)
115 g rolled oats (1¼cup) see gluten-free below
70 g mixed seeds (½ cup)ground (such as sunflower seeds, flax seeds and pepitas) or use LSA (using LSA means it is no longer nut free) or almond meal
30 g sesame seeds (¼ cup)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Optional extras

1 tbsp dried fruit
1 tsp dulse flakes
1-2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cacao nibs

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180℃/350°F (fan forced) and line a large biscuit tray with baking paper.
In a large pot, gently heat the butter and honey or rice syrup until melted. Remove from the heat. Add the bicarbonate of soda and mix very well.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, and mix until well combined. The mixture should feel wet and sticky but presses together. If it feels a bit dry, add a tiny bit of water to bring them together.
With wet hands squeeze the mixture into approximately golf sized balls, press between your palms to flatten slightly and place well apart on the baking tray (they spread).
Bake until golden (approximately 10-20 minutes).
The longer they are baked the crispier they become. So if you like a slightly chewy biscuit remove just as they start to brown. For a crunchy biscuit, leave a little longer. I also find the gluten-free version cooks quicker still.
Cool, undisturbed on the tray (they will harden as they cool).

Thermomix Method

First, grind your seeds, 10 seconds, speed 8. Set aside.
Now melt your butter and syrup/honey, 1 minute, temp. 90, speed 3.
Add the bicarb and mix 10 seconds, speed 3.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix approx. 20 seconds, reverse, interval speed until combined.
Roll and bake as per above method.

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Variations

Gluten and grain-free

Replace the oats withquinoa flakes and spelt flour withbuckwheat or a gluten-free flour.You may have to adjust the amounts so that the mixture is sticky and moist but able to be squeezed into balls (with wet hands). Just keep adding more quinoa and gluten-free flour until it feels right.

Dairy-free

Replace the butter with coconut oil (but they do loose the classic buttery ANZAC flavour). You may need to adjust the oil quantities slightly so the dough holds together.

Vegan

Choose the dairy-free variation and rice malt syrup as your sweetener.

Coconut-free

Replace the coconut with more ground seeds.

Sesame-free

Replace the sesame seeds with sunflower seeds.

Fructose friendly

Choose rice malt syrup as yoursweetenerand omit the rapadura.

Make an Anzac slice

Press this mixture firmly into a small slice tin lined with baking paper. Allow to cool fully and chill in the fridge before slicing (to get a crumb free slice).

Chocolate chip Anzacs

If I know I have fussy guests for morning tea, I often press a piece of dark chocolate onto the top of the flattened biscuit dough. This usually gets fuss pots over the line!

Time-saving Tip

I use a lot of ground seeds in my baking. One, because my lunchbox treats need to be nut free and secondly because seeds are so amazingly nutritious. For example, pepitas are a rich source of zinc, a mineral that often assists fussy eaters. So instead of supplementing to improve their desire and palate for food, include pepitas where you can. My kids aren't a fan of their flavour so I grind them. If you plan to use them this way, you can grind a small batch of one or a mixture of seeds to keep in the fridge in an airtight glass container (a jar is good).

I love to receive feedback - post yours in the comments below. Do you have an ANZAC day family tradition?

"I have made your nourishing Anzacs several times now and my grandmother wants me to write out the recipe for her...she's 87 and has been baking for over seven decades, so I think that's a huge compliment!" Rachael, QLD