These chewy-crisp, buttery oatmeal-coconut cookies are native to Australia, where they had their origin back in World War I. Legend has it that wives and mothers would mail them to their soldiers in ANZAC — the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps — because, without eggs and being quite sturdy, they traveled and kept well.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.
Stir together the oats, flour, sugar, salt, and coconut.
Place the butter and syrup in a small saucepan or microwave-safe container, and cook or microwave until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbling.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the baking soda and boiling water, then stir in the hot butter. Be prepared: the mixture will bubble up energetically. This is why you're using a medium (rather than small) bowl.
Stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients.
Drop the dough, by teaspoonfuls, onto the prepared baking sheets. A teaspoon cookie scoop works well here. Leave at least 1 1/2" between them; they'll spread quite a bit.
Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, until they're a deep mahogany brown; the cookies are meant to be crisp/crunchy and dark brown, not chewy/light brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool them right on the pan. Store, well wrapped, for a week or so at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.
