Anzac Slice

I love Anzac biscuits, they are just so delicious in all their golden syrupy, chewy glory.  Chewy because that is how I like them - out of the oven in no more than 18 minutes.  Revered since childhood in Australia and New Zealand because of the association with brave soldiers who we pictured as carrying them around in biscuit tins.

It might seem like a strange choice for a moderate pacifist.  But it is an obvious choice for a vegan - the recipe never included eggs due to war time scarcity.  And of course it is very simple to replace the butter with vegan margarine.

For this batch I ditched the coconut, reduced the sugar and added some nuts, seeds and dried fruit.  I squished the mixture all down in a tin rather than forming separate biscuits.

I was enjoying them all the more because I was kidding myself that they are somewhat healthy.  Hmmm.  I don't like my shiny new kitchen scales anymore.  Heartless tool of scientific inquiry!

I cut the slice into 24 squares resulting in the following nutritional data per serving:

• 710 Kj = 170cal 
• 3.3g Protein
• 9.9g Fat
• 17.4g Carbs
• 9.1g Sugars

And, I might add, calculating the values for each of the ingredients took considerably longer than I had expected.

Oh well, at least the nutritional value of the slice is much higher than chocolate cake.  There is a good range of proteins, some fibre and zero cholesterol (as in all vegan food).  Well, that's me convinced - might just have another one now with a cup of tea!

If you want to try making them, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup seeds
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup nuts
125g margarine
1/3 cup golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

For the slice pictured I used:
Seeds - 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup each of sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds
Dried Fruit - 1/2 cup each of sultanas and cranberries
Nuts - 1/2 cup each of walnut pieces and slivered almonds

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180oC.
2. Grease and/or line a baking tray with baking paper.  I used a rectangular 30cm x 20cm tray.
3. Lightly toast the seeds under a grill. 
4. Combine all the ingredients except the last 3 in a bowl, mix well and form a well in the centre.
5. Place the margarine and golden syrup in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until melted.
6. Dissolve the bicarb in 1 tablespoon of boiling water and then pour into the melted margarine mixture.  It will froth up (This is my favourite bit!)  Immediately pour this into the dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Press down well into the tray
8. Bake for 18 minutes, or longer if you would like a more crispy slice.
9. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then slice into squares.  Allow to cool fully before removing from the tray if you can (my husband and I tend to eat at least 2 squares worth each while it is still in the tray).