Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats90 g
• 1 cup plain flour150 g
• 1 cup desiccated coconut85 g
• ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed165 g
• 125 g butter125 g
• 2 tbsp golden syrup40 g
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda3 g
• 2 tbsp boiling water40 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan-forced. Line two trays with baking paper.
2. Combine the oats, flour, coconut and brown sugar in a large bowl. Break up any lumps of sugar with your fingers.
3. Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Take it off the heat.
4. Dissolve the bicarb in the boiling water, then stir it into the butter mixture. It will foam up — that is the point, and it is what makes the biscuits light rather than dense.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until there is no loose flour left.
6. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and space them well apart on the trays. They spread a long way. Flatten each one slightly with the back of a fork.
7. Bake for 12 minutes for a chewy centre, or 15 for a biscuit that snaps. They will still look soft when you take them out.
8. Leave them on the trays for 10 minutes to firm up before moving them to a rack. They are fragile while hot.