Australian Federation Biscuits

This year is the Centenary of Federation of Australia, and this recipe was provided by the great-granddaughter of Henry and Isabella Parkes (your equivalent of a first lady). In Australia, we call them biscuits, rather than cookies, but they are well worth trying.

Original recipe makes 50 biscuits

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts

  • PREP

    20 mins

  • COOK

    10 mins

  • READY IN

    30 mins

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Stir in the dates and raisins; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the date and raisin mixture. Combine the flour and cinnamon; mix into the batter until just blended. Finally stir in the walnuts. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Cookies should be at least 1 inch apart.
  3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 93 kcal
Carbohydrates: 13.4 g
Cholesterol: 15 mg
Fat: 4.2 g
Fiber: 0.7 g
Protein: 1.2 g
Sodium: 33 mg