vegan anzac biscuits – Nat's Ladle

Healthy Anzac Biscuits {vg, gf, lf}

Published on April 25, 2017 by nathaliejasmin2019Leave a comment

Today is Anzac Day. And without going into all the historical intricacies, for the purposes of this blog, this means Anzac biscuits! Traditional Anzac biscuits, albeit tasty, are far from healthy as they contain butter (or far worse – margarine), refined sugar and white flour. Healthy Anzac biscuits? It seems like an impossible quest, but you can totally do this. Enter my healthy Anzac biscuits!

Healthy Anzac biscuits that are gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free and much lower in fat than standard Anzac biscuits. The best bit is that taste-wise, they are so close to the “original” that nobody will believe they are healthy! And as I can attest, they are husband and toddler approved too! I am not a biscuit person myself, but I can hardly stay away from them! With only a handful of standard pantry ingredients and very little prep time, there is no reason to enjoy a healthy Anzac biscuit – not only on Anzac day!

Consisting of oats, desiccated coconut, coconut oil and maple syrup, they are a guilt-free treat with benefits. Oats are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet, a great source of fiber, and have been shown to lower bad cholesterol. Coconut provides an array of essential nutrients, with manganese, copper and selenium only to mention a few. Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid, which is not readily stored as fat, but converted to energy and moreover has antifungal and antimicrobial properties. Maple syrup boasts calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc as well as vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and B6. Now that’s what I call healthy Anzac biscuits!

Healthy Anzac biscuits

Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, Low Fat

Makes 16 small biscuits

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
4 tsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp water

Preheat your oven to 160 °C and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Give all ingredients in that order into a high-powered blender and blitz for 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the dough is combined and comes together. Form into 16 rather flat cookies and arrange evenly on your lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden, let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Healthy Anzac Biscuits with banana flour and lupin (vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Published on April 25, 2016 by nathaliejasmin2019Leave a comment

Anzac biscuits are naturally a must on Anzac day and you shouldn’t miss out on this just because of your intolerance or lifestyle choice! I hope you enjoyed last year’s Anzac biscuits but if they were too macaroon-y for you, here is a recipe that is closer to the original we all love and miss. This one uses banana flour which is a great source of resistant starch, keeping you fuller for longer. It functions like soluble fiber and is therefore great for digestion without being a burden on your gut, like unsoluble fiber. Add to that improved insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels and you can enjoy Anzac day without your usual blood sugar rollercoaster.

These babies are vegan, making them the ideal companion for a cuppa if you are following a vegan or low-cholesterol diet, and depending on which sugar source you use, these could even be paleo. The choice is yours! With the fat coming from moderate amounts of coconut oil, desiccated coconut and just a few sliced almonds for that extra crunch, they are a guilt-free treat, and because they are so satisfying, there is less risk for you to go overboard on them. Despite their moderate fat content, they have a yummy buttery flavour. I also added lupin flakes for added texture, protein and fibre. Enjoy!

Makes 20 biscuits

150g banana flour
100g coconut sugar or other sweetener of choice
50g desiccated coconut
30g lupin flakes
1 tbsp flaked almonds
1 tsp gluten free aluminium free baking powder
50g coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp rice malt syrup

Preheat oven to 150 °C and prepare a cookie tray by lining with baking paper or a silicone mat. Combine the dry ingredients bar the baking powder, i.e. the flour, sugar, coconut, lupin and almonds in a large mixing bowl. Froth the baking powder with 4 teaspoons of hot water in a small bowl, and mix in melted coconut oil and rice malt syrup. Stir the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients, knead until well mixed, then roll into balls and place on the baking tray. ~~Lick the bowl clean.~~ Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let stand in the oven for another few minutes, then cool on a plate.

Enjoy!

Vegan Paleo Anzac Biscuits / Coconut Macaroons

Published on April 26, 2015 by nathaliejasmin2019Leave a comment

Paleo Anzac Biscuits - or are they coconut macaroons? — Paleo Anzac Biscuits – or are they coconut macaroons?

So it was Anzac Day yesterday, and I am not going to lie to you. I was meaning to make paleo Anzac biscuits, and I got them almost right, only that they are a bit of a hybrid between Anzacs and coconut macaroons, but who would argue with that? Fact is, regardless of what you want to call them, these babies are so utterly delicious and addictive that they shouldn’t even be healthy! But, alas, they are. Lots of nutty goodness, fibre and protein, low in carbs, family-approved, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, and if you swap in maple syrup for honey, you can even make your vegan friends happy. This one is definitely a winner! Have I mentioned that they are a cinch to make? That they make your house smell yummy? That they are divine?

Makes 25 biscuits

100 g almond meal
100 g dessiccated coconut
80 g shredded coconut
30 g coconut flour
50 g coconut oil, melted
80 g rice malt syrup or maple syrup
2 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 130 °C. Mix the dry ingredients until well combined. Melt the coconut oil and the honey and add to the dry mix. Knead with your hands while adding 2 tbsp or so of water to hold everything together. Scoop out a small portion, shaping patties, and align on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 mins until golden brown. Thoroughly…

Enjoy!