Anzac cookies hold fond memories for me. These are the first recipe I made after discovering Heidi Swanson’s blog 101 Cookbooks. Heidi’s blog and books (her books are awesome too) are filled with vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Its ironic as I discovered her blog years before ever going vegan. It wasn’t until a year later that I realized that I could still eat all the recipes I had loved from her books and blog, some requiring only a few tweaks. If you’re curious about Heidi’s recipe for Anzac Cookies, you can click the link the find her recipe which is absolutely divine with subtle notes and aromas of orange. You can also read about the history of Anzac cookies which I won’t even attempt to repeat. People still talk about the distortions I’ve made to historical events as I try and repeat them, history was never my thing. Heidi’s blog is actually what inspired me to start my first blog about 10 years ago (before going vegan and starting this one). I even scoured the depths of the internet searching for a cast iron heart shaped pan to make my cookies look like hers (thank god for ebay). If you choose to bake these in cast iron, you’ll find they can be a little tricky to remove.
A great alternative to non-stick cooking spray for baking is to make a paste of equal parts coconut oil or non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, canola oil, and all purpose flour. Mix all three ingredients together in a jar and apply to cast iron or stoneware molds with a pastry brush. Any used paste can be stored in the fridge for months.
Below is my version of Anzac Cookies, tweaked slightly to make it vegan and remove white sugar. These aren’t very sweet which makes them a nice accompaniment for a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. Not that I would suggest cookies are a good replacement for a healthy breakfast, but these are pretty wholesome, and truth be told, I’ve had worse things for breakfast…
- 1¼ cups white whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a cast iron mold or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, water, and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, oats, shredded coconut, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Stir until combined with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. The dough should hold together without being sticky. If necessary add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Press 2 tablespoons of dough into the cavity of each cookie mold if using, or drop mounds onto the parchment lined baking sheets, flattening slightly.
- Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes prior to transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature.
Leave a Reply