Anzac Biscuits

As some of you are aware my eldest son is serving in Afghanistan, and apart from being extremely anxious all of the time there is very little I can do about it.

One thing I am able to do is send him treat  parcels.  I try and send one a week,  sometimes I send shop bought bits and pieces, but the selection is limited.  The temperatures in Afghanistan are very high, so sending chocolate and jams etc, would simply not be worth while.   Much homemade baking remains fresh for a very limited time, one or two days perhaps, which means it cannot be included in parcels that may take over a week to be delivered.

 I  have baked him a fruit cake, which travelled well and was happily received, but a fruit cake every week would just be too much,  I decided I needed to try some other recipes.

On Anzac day, Magnolia Verandah, who is based in Melbourne published a recipe for Anzac biscuits.  I decided to give them a try, as of course they were originally baked by Australian and New Zealand mothers and wives and were  sent to their troops in Gallipoli, during the first world war.  If the biscuits survived what must have been a long sea crossing, I felt that they would work well in a package to Afghanistan, and the great news is that they arrived safely and my son tells me were utterly delicious.

Do look at Magnolia's recipe, which you can find here.  Her instructions are clear and I know that this is a recipe that I will be using again and again over the next few months.

Thank you so much Magnolia, for sharing the recipe.

I would be really glad to hear of other  recipes that you have used, for cakes or biscuits that keep, so that I can send a variety of goodies to my son, do please let me know of any great successes.

The finished biscuits

Magnolia Verandah's super blog and great Anzac post

I bought some Anzac biscuits as well, just in case mine
were a disaster

I gathered my ingredients

Melted the butter and syrup

Added the bicarbonate of soda

Mixed together and

Added to dry ingredients

She suggests pushing the biscuits down with a fork

They looked golden and delicious when they came out of
the oven

I packaged them in layers in parchment paper

And covered them 

I added the bought Anzac biscuits and some sweets

A postcard for my son,
 then I sealed the old shoe box and sent the parcel.