Australian Anzac Biscuits: Oat and Coconut Lunchbox Cookies That Keep All Week

Heat the oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment; a lower oven than usual is deliberate, since these need to dry as much as bake.

Serves 12 (makes 24 biscuits)

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup, or honey
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment; a lower oven than usual is deliberate, since these need to dry as much as bake.
2. Whisk the oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar and salt together in a large bowl, breaking up any lumps of sugar with your fingers.
3. Melt the butter with the golden syrup in a small saucepan over low heat, swirling until smooth and just barely bubbling at the edges.
4. Stir the baking soda into the boiling water, then pour it into the hot butter mixture, where it will foam up dramatically. Stir it down.
5. Pour the foaming butter into the dry ingredients and mix until no floury patches remain and the dough clumps when squeezed.
6. Roll walnut-sized balls, space them well apart on the sheets, and flatten each to about half an inch with the base of a glass.
7. Bake 14 to 16 minutes for chewy centers or 18 to 20 for the crisp version, rotating the sheets halfway; they will look underdone and soft when you pull them.
8. Leave them on the hot sheet for five full minutes to set before moving to a rack, then store airtight for up to two weeks.
9. Anzac biscuits were made by Australian and New Zealand families to post to soldiers overseas during the First World War, and every element serves that purpose: no eggs to spoil, golden syrup and soda for lift, and a texture that survives weeks in transit. That same durability is why they remain the definitive lunchbox cookie a century later. Bake a double batch on Sunday and they will still be good the following Friday, which is more than most cookies can claim.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 145 kcal
• Protein: 2g
• Fat: 7g
• Carbohydrates: 19g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 10g
• Sodium: 85mg