Fruity Anzac Slice

I’m not sure why feel the need to turn everything into a slice but I did it again with this Anzac Slice as it is our beloved, traditional Anzac Biscuit recipe baked in a slice tin with sultanas and dried apricots added as well as a chocolate topping. It’s really good, simple to make and no need to roll out biscuits 🙂 I love the taste of oats in biscuits and slices, they just taste so amazing when they are baked….all golden and chewy…..add some coconut to the mix and you have a simple but tasty, pretty nutritious bikkie (or slice in this case 🙂

For those of you from Foreign lands Anzac Day is an annual public holiday in Australia and New Zealand held on the 25th April. It commemorates all New Zealanders and Australians killed in war and also honours returned servicemen and women. The date also marks the anniversary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers, ‘The Anzacs’ on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915.

THE ANZAC BISCUIT – The Anzac biscuit is a popular biscuit that’s made mostly in New Zealand and Australia. According to The New Zealand National Army Museum the majority of rolled oats based biscuits were sold at fetes, galas, parades and other public events at to raise funds for the war effort. This connection to the troops serving overseas led to them being referred to as ‘soldier’s biscuits’. The first mention of the term ‘Anzac’ being associated with the oaty biscuit recipe was in a New Zealand cookbook in 1921.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup dried apricots
1 cup standard flour
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sultanas

125 grams butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda

200 grams milk chocolate
75 grams butter

Note* I nearly always use dark chocolate in my baking but I really think this slice tastes better with milk chocolate. Of course if you want to eat less dairy go hard with the dark stuff 🙂

WALKTHROUGH

First place an oven rack below the centre of the oven and turn it on to 175°C conventional oven, on bake or 150°C fan-bake oven.

Lightly spray a line a 27.5 cm L x 18 cm W x 4 cm D slice tin (standard size) with non-stick cooking spray (You don’t have to do this but I always do it because it’s easier for me to place the paper into the tin, without it sliding around all over the place). Then line the tin with baking paper and lightly spray the paper all over.

Getting started on the slice, cut the apricots into thin slices.

Then add the sliced apricots to a large bowl with the flour, the sugar, the coconut, the oats and the sultanas and mix it all together.

Now place the 125 grams of butter and the golden syrup into a small saucepan and…..

……over a medium heat bring them to the boil, stirring often (about 4 minutes). As soon as they are melted together and start to boil (it will look frothy) remove the pan from the heat.

Next, place the teaspoon of baking soda in a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons of boiling water and mix them both together.

Quickly add them to the saucepan containing the melted butter and golden syrup. Stir them together and pour the contents of the saucepan into the bowl with all of the other ingredients.

Using a large spoon thoroughly stir it all together.

Tip it into the slice tray and using your clean baker’s fingers, just roughly even it out, not pushing it down just yet.

When you think it’s pretty well distributed use a metal spatula (or use the bottom of a large glass or cup) to push the mix very firmly, all over, into the tin.

Then pop it in the oven or 25 minutes or until golden brown all over 🙂

Once out of the oven leave it in the tin until it’s just luke-warm and then you can ice it.

* You can ice it when it’s hot but it will just take forever (and forever) to set!

So when the slice has cooled down you can make the chocolate topping. You need an oven proof bowl and a saucepan that the bowl fits snuggly into the top of.

Break the chocolate up into the bowl. Chop the 75 grams of butter into little pieces and add it to the chocolate.

Fill the saucepan around 1/3 full with water and over a high heat bring it to the boil. Then turn it down to medium/low or until it is just simmering. Place the bowl containing the chocolate and butter on top and then take it off and check that the bottom of the bowl is not wet and if it is, tip some water out of the saucepan until the bottom of the bowl isn’t wet. Because if the simmering water is touching the bottom of the bowl it will be too hot for the chocolate and some might catch on the bottom and then burn. Once satisfied it’s safe, sit the bowl back on top.

Stir the chocolate and butter often over the simmering water until it’s combined and totally melted together, then take off the heat.

Play around with the chocolate in the bowl, why? Because it’s magnificent that’s why, lol 🙂

Spread it evenly over the slice.

It takes a long time to set at room temperature, depending on how warm your kitchen is, it may take an hour or more, but if you are not in a hurry it’s the safest bet. You can hurry it along by putting it in the fridge to set but just remember chocolate doesn’t like moisture so if you leave it in there too long it may turn whitish here and there or the chocolate may get too hard and it will crack and look messy when you try to cut it…..so as long as you only leave it in there until you can touch the chocolate without leaving a finger print it’s okay.

Once set and at room temperature cut it into slices and If you like sprinkle it with desiccated coconut, that looks really nice 🙂

There you go, a delicious Anzac slice. Great for a gift