White Chocolate ANZAC biscuits for ANZAC day

Today is ANZAC day- Lest we forget. 25th April

I have made my husband's Aunty Evi's ANZAC biscuits today and thought I should share her yummy recipe (hope she doesn't mind). It's a variation on the original as they are softer and contain chocolate!! A luxury that the troops didn't have on theirs.

For any Aussie/ Kiwi readers you will know the story but for everyone else ANZAC biscuits were sent to Australian and New Zealand soldiers by their wives during WW1 as they kept well and would last the long distance it took to get to them overseas. They are still popular today.

A couple of people have commented on not knowing about ANZACS so I should mention that it stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps and ANZAC day is a day to commemorate those who fought at Gallipoli in WW1 (and also all those who've served in the armed forces)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups desicated coconut

2 cups plain flour

2 cups rolled oats

300g butter

2 tbl golden syrup

2 heaped tsp bi-carb soda

1/4 cup boiling water

Chocolate for drizzling

Makes about 24
Method:
1. Mix together all dry ingredients except bi-carb.
2. Melt butter & syrup in a seperate bowl.

3. Dissolve in bi-carb soda with boiling water (be careful!!) then pour this mixture into the butter mixture and stir.
4. Add butter mixture to the dry indredients and mix well.
5. Roll mixture into balls and place on greased & lined trays flattening the balls out a little and leaving a fair sized gap as they expand. You will need a couple of trays or to bake in batches.

6. Bake on 170*c-180*c for around 12 minutes rotating the trays half way. Cook until golden brown- they will harden a bit on standing.
7. Drizzle melted chocolate onto each biscuit whilst still hot. Cool on cooling rack.
8. Enjoy!
Other variations add 1/2 cup crushed nuts
OR
a few raw blanched peanuts each


For futher info on the ANZACS please read:
http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_biscuits


I'm linking these to:

and:

Made it Monday @ The Persimmom Perch

http://thepersimmonperch.blogspot.com/2010/04/made-it-monday-42610.html

Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
http://beautyandbedlam.com/when-did-you-learn-to-cook/

White Chocolate & Gingerbread Slice

My father-in-law and I have started baking together once a week(ish)& he brought over this recipe from a Coles Christmas free magazine that he got last year. It's a White Chocolate & Gingerbread slice.

I'm not a huge fan of ginger, but the ginger flavour wasn't too overpowering so I enjoyed it- if you love ginger you could add some more.

Here's the recipe-

100g Unsalted butter, chopped

3/4 cup golden syrup

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup milk

2 cups plain flour

180g white chocolate, chopped

Icing sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 180 c or 160 c for fan-forced. Grease & line slice pan with baking paper.

2. Place butter, syrup, sugar, ginger & cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir on med heat for 2-3 mins, until butter has melted & mixture is well combined & smooth. Remove from heat & cool slightly. Add eggs & milk and mix well.

3.Sift flour into a large bowl. Add chocolate. Fold through egg mixture and mix until combined.

Fill prepared pan and bake for 30-35 mins, until firm.

4. Cool completely in pan. Dust with icing sugar and cut into fingers to serve.

Enjoy!

Easter Bunny Cupcake Mountains

So as a last minute Easter idea I decided I'd make some cupcakes. Bear in mind I'm very much a newby at baking & these are the first cupcakes I've made from scratch in years!

I made bright green ones as I'm wanting to practice making Dorothy the Dinosaur cupcakes for by baby boys 1st birthday, but I didn't want to make 12 Dorothy's at Easter. So I made a quick change to an Easter theme & took them to my parents house as a gift (can you believe that my hubby doesn't like cake?!)

So please excuse the mess as I'm not a cake decorator and I wipped them up in a hurry while baby napped! :)

Here's the recipe I used:
2 Cups SR Flour

3/4 Cup Caster Sugar

3/4 Cup Milk
125g Butter, melted & cooled

2 Eggs, beaten

1 Tb Vanilla Essence

1/2 cup choc chips

Mix flour & caster sugar in a bowl. Form a well in the middle & add wet ingrdients & stir gently. Then I added choc chips (were'nt in original recipe & I think they could've done with more!)

Cook in greased muffin trays (or patty pans) in 200c oven for 12-15 mins (took me the latter)

Icing was just 1 1/2 cups icing sugar, + around 2 tb milk until reached correct consistancy then added food colouring oh and some vanilla essence.

Ice when cool & add choc sprinkles for rabbit poos.

I used easter bunny template from http://www.docstoc.com/search/printable-puppet-template/ for my toppers, but your could choose your own bunny designs. Cut out bunny & tape to a tooth pick. Insert tooth pic & ur done.

These weren't the nicest cupcakes ever (they were ok I think I was just over looking at green!) if you have a great & easy vanilla cupcake recipe I'd love to see it.

Also I'm gonna go more adventurous/tasty with icing next time!

If you make a version of my bunny mountain cupcakes please send me an email/ link so I can check out your handy work & link it to my blog! I'm sure you will all make prettier ones!!

Enjoy your Easter, stay safe & God bless. kt