Action Pack is an eMagazine published by Kathreen (of WhipUp) and her husband. The tagline is, “A Magazine for Kids Who Want To Do Stuff.” I love this tagline. I can remember the craving I had as a child to make something real. And I know as a parent that my kids can see right away if a project is just something sorta shoddy and meant for kids, or if it’s the real deal. One of the reasons I like teaching kids to sew is knowing that I am giving them a skill that will allow them to make real stuff. So that’s an awesome tagline.
And this is an awesome magazine full of real projects.
The current issue is 69 pages focusing on cooking and includes recipes (plus printable recipe cards) for dozens of unique, kid-friendly but real recipes, plus a sewing project (making a chef’s hat) and lots of tips and bits of history. And it’s pretty. And personal. These are Kathreen’s kids doing the projects themselves. You know these projects work.
As I was reading through the pages of this issue of Action Pack I was drawn immediately to a recipe for something I’d never heard of: Anzac Bikkies. Named for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, these crispy, coconutty, oaty biscuits were first made by wives and mothers of soldiers to take to the trenches during WWI.
I don’t think I’ve ever baked something culturally Australian so I was intrigued and then I read that Kathreen’s daughter Otilija’s birthday is on Anzac Day, April 25. Anzac Day is the equivalent of Memorial Day in the US. And, my son, Simon, and Otilija share a birthday! Perfect. Of all the creative recipes in this issue, Anzac Bikkies was the one for us to try first.
Simon and I like to cook together. Simon is a very social kid and is up for almost any activity if it involves being together. He is endlessly patient and careful and helpful if she is involved in a joint project and we had a very nice time making these new-to-us cookies together (I’m sorry, biscuits. Apparently the Australian Ministry of Veteran’s Affairs gets upset if you call them cookies.)
I just got an iPad in May and before then had never downloaded an eBook or eMagazine. But the iPad makes these downloads so easy to access. We propped it up on it’s stand in the kitchen and then got going on the measuring and baking. This issue of Action Pack is stored in my iBooks shelf so we’ll be able to refer to indefinitely. And when it was time to pop these bikkies in the oven I just switched over to the camera mode and took these pictures! Convenient for sure.
There is a really cool step in making Anzac Bikkies that totally caught Simon’s attention. After you combine all the dry ingredients, you melt butter and golden syrup (Golden syrup is unusual in the US, but a mixture of corn syrup and molasses works perfectly) and then…you add baking soda. The whole mixture bubbles up like a science experiment. A very good smelling science experiement.
And the biscuits? Delicious. We all love them. There are only two left. We will defintily make them again.
If you’ve never treated your kids (and yourself) to an issue of Action Pack, I recommend it. It’s a perfect choice for these weeks of summer vacation when you’re looking for something new and special to do that the kids can really take ownership of. The activities are pretty and accessible and just the idea of an eMag is novel enough in this house to hold everyone’s attention.
You can get a copy of the latest issue of Action Pack right here for $10. I think you’ll really enjoy it.
Anzac biscuits really are a quintessentially Aussie (and Kiwi) food. I would guess that they are more widely loved than Vegemite, and almost every Aussie kid would have grown up eating them.
We are a household that likes them chewy, and store bought ones are always crispy, so they are much better when they are homemade.
They are fantastic if you happen to have someone in the family that is allergic to eggs (a more common problem these days) as they are one of the few things that you bake that doesn’t contain eggs (which is one of the reasons they became popular during the rationing of the war).
We don’t have that many culinary icons, and the ones that we do have are mostly shared with the Kiwis, (like Anzacs and Pavlovas) but Anzacs are agreeable enough to appeal to palates the world over.
As a proud Aussie, I’m so glad you liked them.
Wow I was instantly drawn your post when I saw the title! Well done and I am so excited to hear that you enjoyed the biscuits… Another proud Aussie 🙂
Nothing like a chewy home made Anzac biscuit to brighten the day! Mmmm! Bethx from Western Austraila
I clicked on the Action Pack link for the Anzac Bikkies recipe but then saw the spinach roll photograph. Now I have to purchase this issue. Thanks so much for the introduction!
And please tell Simon that she is the most photogenic chef possible!
Susan
You can find Golden syrup in quite a few places in America these days. I used to have to get it at the import store, but Cost Plus World Market sells it, as do Fresh n Easy supermarkets. I’ve also found it in a few regular supermarkets, like Albertsons and Ralphs, but not every branch. It’s delicious on pancakes…
Thank you to all the Aussies and Kiwis that popped in to say how much they love these biscuits! We love them, too, and it’s so cool to share in this national food with you guys!