Our staff tested out recipes for Anzac biscuit recipes to find the best one. Here’s what happened.

Lian Hingee tried to replicate her Nana’s recipe

My Nana used to make Anzac biscuits, which she’d keep in a tin for when we came to visit. They were very crisp, very caramelised, and very very thin with lacy edges – almost more like a Florentine than an Anzac. She must have made them so many times that she knew the recipe by heart because unfortunately there was no record of it to be found after she died. Since then, I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to replicate her version by working through the cookbooks from some of her peers.

This time, I tried out Margaret Fulton’s recipe from her Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery. The result is crispy and caramelised but not too sweet. The recipe calls for the batter to be rolled into balls 2cms in diameter, and the first batch that came out the oven were very little, so for the second batch, I doubled the quantity and squished them flat on the tray to make them spread thinner. They’re not my Nana’s Anzacs, but they’re very quick and easy to make, and the flavour and texture are great.

Chris Gordon outsourced her baking

Look, it’s been a busy week. I’ve had a full social schedule – the cinema, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, a work event, dinner with friends – and plus, we’ve have visitors all week. So even though I’ve made Anzac biscuits often and know the task would only take around 20 minutes, I simply did not have time to make these ones.

But my gorgeous loving bloke did. And so today I have brought in his baking to share.

He started with a recipe that has been in my family for years (I strongly suspect that it originally came from the NSW Country Women’s Association cookbook) and popped a little of his own pizazz into it. There is a secret ingredient that I dare not tell you, except think of Canada and all that it can offer us in the way of syrupy goodness. I always think the trick of Anzac biscuits is to not overcook them. I’m partial to a chewy biscuit and so tend to take them out of the oven a tad before the recipe suggests. My bloke followed my soundly sensible advice and I reckon the result is perfect. I’m a fortunate woman to have a bloke that cooks and cares and most importantly listens.

Anthony Shaw adds sultanas to his family recipe

I feel that my Anzac biscuit recipe is my guilty little secret. Usually when cooking, I comb through endless piles of cookbooks to find the perfect combination of ingredients. This usually means I end up buying something which I only use for that one creation. But when it comes to ANZAC biscuits, I keep coming back to the popular website Taste. Their recipe is simple and tasty. Typically, I do change it up a little by using molasses (or treacle) instead of golden syrup, to intensify the sweetness. I also like to add a small handful of sultanas, as fruit in any form is health-food, without trying. I do like the richness which sultanas bring to to the biscuit, although traditionalist may disqualify me even before tasting.

I love making (and eating) Anzac Biscuits, as I always have everything I need in the pantry and they take less than 20 minutes to throw together and cook. It’s tough to wait 5 minutes while they cool though.

Judi Mitchell was given a recipe by a friendly neighbour

Having never made Anzac biscuits (not sure how that happened!) I’ve discovered quite a lot about them since looking for a recipe to use for our afternoon tea. Their consistency can certainly galvanise opinion. They can be chewy, slightly chewy or crunchy, depending on your preference and these differences are made by the type of sugar or combination of sugars used. They pretty much have the same ingredients but measurements for these can vary.

I remember being impressed by the chemical reaction of the butter/golden syrup mixture combining with the bicarb of soda when my mum made them so of course I asked her for the recipe she used when I was growing up. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find it, so she asked her neighbour for theirs, which is what I used today. This recipe was very simple and fun to put together but as the batter was a little dry to shape, it ended up crumbling a lot when placing them on the trays. I have since discovered this is quite normal. Mine were a little dark for my liking but I’m going to blame my unreliable oven!

I loved the sweet smells coming from my kitchen – which still lingered this morning – and I can only imagine how our soldiers abroad must have felt when receiving these treats in parcels from friends and loved ones back home.

Bronte Coates turned to Stephanie Alexander

I grew up eating my mum’s Anzac biscuits. She always baked hers in a tray as a slice, and often added chocolate chips. My favourite thing to do was to eat the raw batter, and so she’d often save me a small biscuit-sized amount. But when I mentioned my mother’s slice-shaped-chocolate-chip-included version of the traditional biscuit recipe to my workmates they all shook their head. That’s no longer an Anzac, I was told. So I turned to the trusty Stephanie Alexander, and found a recipe in her Kitchen Garden Companion. The result is quite small but a great texture (crunchy on the outside, chewy inside) and the recipe was very straightforward.

And the winner is…

Never have we had a more contentious office cook-off than today! It turns out our staff are quite opinionated when it comes to this traditional biscuit, and it seemed everyone has a different vision for what their preference is.

Ultimately, the true winner of the day was Barney who got to eat up all our spilled crumbs.