CHEWY APRICOT & ALMOND ANZACS

serves / makes about 24 1 cup wholemeal OR plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup dried shredded coconut OR desiccated coconut 1½ cups dried apricots, cut into 5mm dice ¾ cup chopped toasted almonds ¾ cup firmly packed, soft brown sugar

1/ tsp salt 8 135g unsalted butter 2 tbsp golden syrup 2½ tbsp water 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2 Combine the flour, oats, coconut, apricots, nuts, sugar and salt in a medium-large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the golden syrup and water. Stir briefly, then remove from the heat. Add the bicarbonate of soda — this will make the mixture fizz, but don’t be worried. Add to the dry mixture, and mix with a wooden spoon (even better with your hands) until the ingredients are well combined.

3 Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into golf ballsized balls, then press gently with a fork to flatten the biscuits slightly. Space them about 4cm apart on the prepared trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Let the biscuits rest for 5 minutes on the baking trays, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool — being a chewy-style biscuit, they are a little flimsy when fresh out of the oven and will fall apart if you try to pick them up immediately.

4 These will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container and also freeze very well.