Healthier ANZAC Biscuits

For my international readers who may not know - today (25th April) is a day of remembrance for our troops who have fought at war. We call is ANZAC day (Australian New Zealand Army Corps).  

I really enjoy making ANZAC biscuits each year. 
The story about these biscuits (or so I'm told) is this: the wives used to send these cookies over to their hubbies and they were a recipe that kept well and had no milk or eggs in them! 
Most of the recipes we see these days do contain eggs and or butter even though that is not how traditional ANZAC biscuits made.  
Obviously I don't make them with butter - but this year I took it up another notch & ditched using oil too! I like to make all my recipes as fat free as possible. 


These worked out really really delicious & so much like traditional ANZAC biscuits that I will never go back! 
In fact, who said we just have to have them on ANZAC day - I think I'll have them all year round!

You'll need:
1 cup oats
1 cup wholemeal flour
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/3 cup brown rice malt syrup
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 Tablespoons boiling water
1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda

In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, coconut & brown sugar.
In a microwave jug combine the rice syrup with the apple sauce and microwave on high for 30 seconds. The rice syrup will be soft & easy to mix. Stir together well.
Combine the bi-carb soda with the boiling water & mix well. The bi-carb soda will froth.
Add the 2 wet mixtures into the dry & stir well.
It will look like its not wet enough but just keep mixing and it will come together.
Wet hands and roll tablespoons of mixture and place on a lined baking tray. Press down.
Bake at 180C for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 16 cookies

Inside the cookie - so deliciously light and fluffy yet just the right amount of crispness on the outside: