ANZAC Biscuits with Caramel Ganache

Today is ANZAC Day. A day to commemorate the anniversary of the day our Australian & New Zealand troops landed in Gallipoli.

It is a solemn and significant day back home, and again, it makes me miss being home.

Coming from a military family, and ever since I can remember, I've always been at Dawn Services on ANZAC Day. 

And until I moved to the UK and had a baby, I never missed a service. 

I felt like I needed to stare into the eternal flame and be respectful and silent and appreciate the incredible freedom I was fortunate to grow up in.

I have such an immense love for Australia, made even more apparent by living so far away from it, and feel so lucky to have grown up in such a peaceful and free country.

As well as being a day to gather at War Memorials around the country, it is also a day that we dig out our tins of golden syrup from the back of the cupboard and make Anzac Biscuits. Traditionally sent to the troops because their ingredients would last the long journey, they are now such a symbol of the Anzac spirit and the very smell of warm Anzac Biscuits fresh out of the oven takes me straight back to my sunburnt country.

Much like last year when I made a Salted Caramel Anzac Blondie, I am enjoying creating a slightly different twist on the Anzac classic. Sticking to the combination of caramel and Anzac, these "Anzac Kingstons" are, according to my Husband "quite possibly the best thing I've ever eaten". 

I saw the recipe for this Homemade Caramel Sauce on A Cup of Jo this week and knew I had to try it out, and soon! So yesterday made the caramel, added some icing sugar and wow, it is every bit as good as Eva proclaims! 

meg-made ANZAC Biscuits with caramel ganache meg-made ANZAC Biscuits with caramel ganache meg-made ANZAC Biscuits with caramel ganache

Ingredients

Basic Anzac Biscuit
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup coconut

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup plain flour (I used All Purpose GF Flour)

1 1/2t bicarb

2 T boiling water

4 Oz butter

1 T Golden Syrup

Method:

1. Heat butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over low heat until completed melted.

2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Boil water and put 2 tablespoons in a small cup.

4. When the butter has melted, quickly perform the next step. Add bicarb to the boiling water and stir. Add immediately to the hot butter and watch it foam up. It will froth up and triple in size, so be sure to use a deep enough saucepan!

5. Pour the frothy butter mix over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

6. Bake in moderately warm oven (150C/300F) for 10 minutes or until perfectly golden

Then make the Homemade Caramel Sauce as per Eva's instructions and add enough icing sugar to make the caramel the consistency of ganache. I wanted it to set and stay in place between two biscuits, so used about 1/3 of the caramel and added about a cup of icing sugar. 

It gave me such joy and pride to make these Anzac Biscuits with Madeleine this year. I told her all about the history as we stirred and measured together. I was even proud of my little Aussie girl for guzzling down two biscuits (she does not have a sweet tooth AT ALL so it was a huge surprise that she took a second bite let alone a second biscuit!). Teaching the next generation about the Anzac Spirit is so important to ensure the courage and mateship of the Anzac's is never lost, and never forgotten.

"At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them"

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!