Crunchy, chewy, swirled into pastry: Where to find Melbourne’s best Anzac biscuits

Melbourne may not have a public holiday for Anzac Day this year, but there are still plenty of cafes and bakeries honouring tradition with freshly baked golden, oaty bikkies on Saturday. With origins tracing back to World War I, the simple yet beloved teatime treat has become a national treasure for Australians. Here are some of the best Anzac and Anzac-adjacent biscuits in town, plus two easy recipes from Helen Goh and Stephanie Alexander to try at home.

Calle Bakery, Carlton North & Northcote

Known for its gooey, filled pastries, Carlton North’s Calle Bakery (also now in Northcote) is entering the biscuit chat this weekend with giant, chewy Anzac bikkies ($5.50) available at both stores all weekend.

649 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North; 229 High Street, Northcote; calle.com.au

To Be Frank Bakery, Collingwood & Brunswick East

This inner-north bakery is honouring the day with two Anzac treats. Classic biscuits ($5) will be available at both stores, in addition to a delicately laminated, Anzac-inspired pain suisse ($9.50) filled with oats, coconut and golden syrup. It closes a bit earlier at 2pm on Saturday so get in quickly to secure your golden snap.

Unit 1/4 Bedford Street, Collingwood; 3 Village Avenue, Brunswick East; tobefrankbakery.com.au

Lune, CBD, Fitzroy & Armadale

It wouldn’t be Anzac Day in Melbourne without Lune’s famous take on the classic biscuit: the Anzac kouign-amann ($12). Available from Friday, April 24 through to Monday, April 27, the buttery, golden pastry is folded with oats, golden syrup and coconut before being shaped and baked like a KA.

16/161 Collins Street, Melbourne; 119 Rose Street, Fitzroy; 835 High Street, Armadale; lunecroissanterie.com.au

Baker Bleu, Prahran, Caulfield North, Cremorne & South Yarra

Crisp edges, chewy centre – all the signs of a solid Anzac bikkie are here at Baker Bleu. Packed with the usual suspects (golden syrup, toasted coconut, butter and Australian rolled oats) and finished with flaky sea salt, these are bigger boys than you might see at the supermarket. Plus, you can get them all the way through until the end of April for $4.50 each.

Multiple locations, bakerbleu.com.au

Little Sister Bakery, Caulfield, Elsternwick, Malvern, Chadstone & more

Revered south-side bakery Little Sister is trying its hand at the Anzac biscuit for the first time. These are hella thick, chewy, blonde and packed with both golden syrup and brown sugar for that extra hit of sweetness. The bikkies are available at all Little Sister bakeries this weekend for $5 each.

Multiple locations, littlesisterbakery.com.au

The best (and worst) supermarket Anzac biscuits

Which are the best and worst supermarket Anzac biscuits? Good Food Guide co-editor Frank Sweet blind taste-tested eight Anzac biscuits and found more flunks than slam dunks. From the crunchy and dry to the gooey and chewy, here’s the way the cookies crumbled.

Helen Goh’s Anzac biscuit recipe

Freshly baked is always best. Helen Goh’s Anzac biscuit recipe stays true to the storied foundations of the Anzac biscuit with two respectful refinements. She uses a blend of desiccated and shredded coconut, lightly toasted beforehand to deepen the aroma and add a more complex texture. A final delicate sprinkle of flaky sea salt is added to sharpen the buttery, caramel notes of the sugar.

Stephanie Alexander’s Anzac biscuit recipe

For many Australian households, Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion is the ultimate kitchen bible. Yet, she recently discovered that her recipe for Anzac biscuits had been accidentally omitted from the latest edition. Thankfully, you can find a copy of it here. Save it in the Good Food app so it’s never lost again.

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