Grandpa Biscuits / Anzac Biscuits

Anzac biscuits get their name from Australia and New Zealand Army Corps because these kind of biscuits were sent out by families to the troops. They survive in tins for absolutely ages, don’t mind the heat, survive a bit of sea water along the way and so on. Brilliant biscuits.

They were also the first biscuits that my father learnt to make and they became very popular with the grandchildren, visitors, plumbers, indeed anyone to whom he owed a favour. Hence, in our family, Grandpa biscuits.

So without further ado, here’s the recipe. Very simple. Takes about half an hour to make. As I said, in an airtight container they last AGES (weeks unless you eat them all which is a greater risk tbh).

Grandpa Biscuits / Anzac Biscuits

Set oven to 165oC

Get two bowls

One bowl

250g self raising flour

250g porridge oats

1tsp baking powder

Stir together

Other bowl

250g butter

250g soft brown sugar (ideally light as it’s harder to see when it’s cooked if not)

2 tbsp golden syrup

Melt in microwave & stir together

Then mix two bowls together. Now wait for 10 minutes. Get three baking trays ready with baking paper on them.

When your 10 min timer has gone off, grab golf ball sized amounts of the mixture, squish each one into a firm ball and put it, spaced out on the tray. 

Put into the oven for 5 minutes. Then grab a wooden spoon and squish them all flat with the back of a spoon.

Back into the oven for 8 minutes. 

When golden around the edge, take it out of the oven. I then pick up the baking paper and put that directly onto a wire rack to cool. You could faff about picking up each one individually with a fish slice but that takes ages.  Then eat them.



Baking : Diabetes Friendly Cake

I always bake for pregnant yogis in their last week - in your 40th week if you have no issues, but earlier if you're scheduled for a C Section or induction. This week is the first time that I've been set the challenge of baking for someone with Gestational Diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes means no regular cakes with lots of sugar, so I did some searching and have found this Courgette Loaf recipe on Diabetes UK's website. I changed it to put it in muffin cakes, but otherwise didn't alter the recipe. I was tempted to add nuts but wasn't sure what impact that would have on the nutritional information and didn't want to mess up my yogi's carefully balanced diet management.

Ingredients are:

CourgetteMuffinIngredients

Courgette Muffins

2 eggs
75ml oil
1tsp vanilla extract
3tbsp granulated sweetener
300g courgette, grated
200g wholemeal flour
1tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 180oC
Oil the tin and set to one side
Beat together eggs / oil / vanilla / sweetener in a bowl
Add courgettes then add flour / baking powder and cinnamon (I always mix the baking powder and flour well before adding as no-one wants clumps of baking powder in their muffins)
Put in the oven and bake for approx. 20 mins (30-35 mins if in a loaf tin).

 

I tasted one with my morning coffee and they're not bad. Another time I would use muffin cases rather than oiling the tins as the recipe suggested as I think it'd make it easier. Plus I think they'd be better with some oats / nuts / seeds but will consult my friendly nutritionist friend for advice.

Anyway, hopefully she will appreciate that I've tried to make her something special for her last week. I hope that her Gestational Diabetes is left behind her once she has her baby (apparently 50% of the time you get to keep that particular joy with you forever!) and she can once again indulge in occasional sweet indulgences like the rest of us.

In the meantime, does anyone have any other suggestions of recipes using sweetener? I've got a massive pot of it now and can't see me getting through it any time soon.

 

Baking : Banana biscuits

I initially thought I'd include some of the recipes of baking that I do for last pregnancy yoga classes (if you come in your 40th week, I'll bake as a send off), but this is one of the most popular bits of baking that I do in my week with my kids and as such thought it might be useful!

bananabiscuits.jpg

 

Two ripe bananas (even better if they're the black dotted ones left at the bottom of the fruit bowl). Mash them in a bowl. 

One cup (250ml) of oats

1/4 cup of bits and bobs  seeds, chopped dried dates / apple / apricots / walnuts / raisins / whatever you have in the cupboard that your kids like. I've added vanilla essence and peanut butter before (not to the same batch). 

Mix together, put on a baking sheet in blobs that are roughly biscuit shaped, cook for 15 mins at 200oC.

Obviously (from the pic) I'll not be entering Bake Off any time soon, but they are delicious and a pretty healthy snack. Toddlers also enjoy helping to make them.