Where to Find Anzac Biscuits in New York

Anzac Day is a time for reflection upon the service people who have bravely supported the war efforts and kept our countries safe. This year due to COVID-19 many Australian and New Zealander expats in New York will pay their respects virtually on Anzac Day. On a lighter note, many of us will also wonder, where to find Anzac biscuits in New York?

A Brief History of the Anzac Biscuit

First of all, it’s interesting to learn that the ration staple for WWI Diggers was not the chewy golden Anzac bikkie we all know and love, but the hard tack biscuit. This was an alternative to bread as it had an extremely long shelf life, but it was very, very hard, therefore some soldiers preferred to grind it up and eat it like porridge. It’s thought that Anzac biscuits, similar to the ones we know today, were sent within care packages to the soldiers from families and charities.

Where to Find Anzac Biscuits in New York

Our AWNY Guide has ideas to virtually commemorate Anzac Day in NYC in 2020. Although many of our favorite Aussie and Kiwi cafes have sadly closed due to COVID-19, we found the following suppliers of Anzac biscuits in New York:

Aussie Pies and Sausages
Aussie bakery based in Los Angeles is offering an Anzac Day package, including party pies, sausage rolls, lamingtons and Anzac bikkies. Order by April 20th, ships April 23rd. (Online)

Australian Bakery Cafe
Aussie bakery based in Marietta, Georgia is offering Anzac Day specials via online ordering, including Anzac biscuits, meat pies, sausage rolls, sausages for the bbq. (Online)

Boomerang Bites
Hoboken-based, Aussie woman owned artisanal bakery, Boomerang Bites will be offering single flavor boxes for Anzac Day–so homesick Aussies can opt for a box chock full of chewy Anzacs (or any other favorite bite). Shipping deadline for Anzac Day delivery is Wednesday morning April 22. To place your order, email Andrea: info@boomerangbites.com. (Online)

The Thirsty Koala
Astoria-based Aussie restaurant and bakery offers traditional Aussie desserts including lamingtons and sticky date pudding. They offer takeout or contactless delivery. You can order directly from their website or through Grubhub, Seamless, Uber Eats. (Astoria)

Make You Own Anzac Biscuits

If you’re feeling crafty, pick up the ingredients and make your own Anzac biscuits at home:

The Australian War Memorial offers these recipes to make your own hard tack biscuit and traditional Anzac biscuits.

Alternatively you can make a vegan version by substituting butter with coconut oil or vegan butter, courtesy of plant-based food bloggers, Ania and Aussie-born Duncan of Lazy Cat Kitchen.

There’s even an American version of the Anzac biscuit from Boston-based Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street.  This recipe substitutes honey and dark brown sugar for golden syrup (which can be difficult to find in the US) and spices them up with additional coffee and orange zest flavors.

Finally, here is my favorite recipe, tried and tested:

Ingredients
– 1 cup plain flour
– 1 cup rolled oats
– 1 cup brown sugar
– ½ cup dessicated coconut
– 125g butter (I just use a stick of butter)
– 2 tablespoons of Golden Syrup (I use Lyle’s Golden Syrup here in the USA)
– 1 tablespoon water
– ½ teaspoon bicarb of soda

Method
1. Preheat oven to 175 deg C/350 deg F.
2. Grease tray.
3. Mix flour, sugar, rolled oats and coconut.
4. Melt butter and add syrup and water.
5. Stir the bicarb of soda into the liquid mixture. This will froth up a bit and you should try to move with speed.
6. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
7. Place walnut size balls on the greased tray.
8. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Have you heard of any other places to find Anzac biscuits in New York? Let us know in the comments.