Jane’s Sweets & Baking Journal -- janessweets.blogspot.com -- July 2012

(This recipe has been adapted from Alice Medrich’s wonderful book, Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies; Artisan/Workman Publishing Co., 2010. Please see pages 110-111 for her original recipe.)

ANZAC Cookies

2 cups rolled oats (I happened to use quick oats.)

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup (Or you can substitute honey, per Alice, but I have to believe they taste best made with Lyle’s.)

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached flour and whisked it lightly before measuring.)

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups dessicated coconut (This is coconut that’s dried, small-shredded, and unsweetened; readily available in health food stores if you can't find it in a regular grocery store.)

In the large bowl of your food processor, pulse the oats for a few seconds, until coarsely ground but not powdery.

In a large mixing bowl, by hand, combine the ground oats, along with the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large pot (I used a dutch oven) set over low heat, stir together the butter, sugar, water, and golden syrup until the butter is melted. Add in all of the dry ingredients, and stir until it's entirely combined.

Divide the dough into four equal parts and form each one into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Roll each log snugly in parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or as long as overnight.

When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment. Removing one chilled log from the fridge at a time, slice the cookies to a thickness of about 1/2 an inch with a very sharp knife; if the dough crumbles on the edges as you slice, press it back together with your fingers. Lay the cookies about 1 inch apart on the parchment-covered cookie sheets.

Bake the cookies for approximately 15 minutes, until they're golden on the bottom and lightly golden on top. Rotate the sheets in the oven half-way through for even baking. (They smell heavenly when baking.)

Let the finished cookies cool on their pans for a few minutes. (They'll be firm enough to handle relatively quickly, but will still be kind of soft and chewy at first. They'll be much firmer after a few hours and that's when you'll realize why they're famous for their sturdy constitution!)