An easy and delicious family recipe worth sharing

Here’s an example of easy ways to make your favourite dish vegan!

When I was growing up, my grandmother Mama Mila would always cook for family birthdays or special events. Every year on my birthday I would look forward to her hugs and her coconut chocolate cookie squares that she baked just for me.

When I was 17 years old, she passed away, and I spent birthday after birthday without my grandma and her miraculously crunchy, sweet and chewy cookies. So last year I decided to do something about it and I started looking through her old recipe books¬ — all ten of them —.

After two weeks of going through a Julie & Julia phase by cooking several of my grandma’s recipes, and consequently eating massive amounts of food, I found the recipe!

I promise these cookies take comfort food to a whole new level and will make any coconut lover’s dreams come true.

Apart from being incredibly quick and easy to make, this treat is semi-nutritious too. According to www.livestrong.com, coconut is rich in dietary fiber, boosts immune function and has high levels of minerals. Essentials to any diet!

So from one cookie lover to another, here is my grandma’s best cookie recipe.

Ingredients:

-100 grams of unsalted butter (Use Earth Balance Spread instead of butter for a vegan treat)

-1 ½ cup of graham crackers or crumbs

-1 can of sweetened condensed milk (Here’s a recipe for vegan sweetened condensed milk)

-6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

-1 1/3 shredded coconut

-1 cup of walnuts

-Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if you are baking in a glass pan).

Preparation:

Melt butter in the microwave and pour in the Pyrex pan. Add cookie crumbs, condensed milk, chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts into the pan and mix with a wooden spoon or by hand.

I find that the ingredients mix better together by hand, but it can be a sticky mess so make sure you wash your hands after; or lick them clean — whichever you prefer.

Press down in order to fill the whole pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut into squares or bars, thank my mama Mila, and enjoy!

mbitter@cjournal.ca