*Birthday cookies

Today is my friend Mia’s birthday, and I decided to make her cookies. She had suggested I make her cookies for her birthday in passing, and jokingly, about a week ago, but I figured there was no better way to spend my afternoon than baking for a friend! Especially for an occasion as special as an 18th birthday.

I made absolutely delicious (if I do say so myself) coconut cookies, which were completely organic! (Very proud of myself on that one.) They were pretty easy to make, though the sugar and butter would have been easier to cream with real utensils from home. Here’s the recipe:

1 1/3 cups flour
½ cup each white and brown sugar
2 sticks of butter
1 ½ cups unsweetened flaked coconut
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 egg
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour, salt, and baking soda. When well mixed, add coconut. Cook about 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Enjoy warm and fresh if possible!!!

These cookies were by far my biggest accomplishment in the kitchenette thus far. People kept walking by the open door, primarily surprised anyone was making anything, asking what smelled so good! I was happy to let them sample the cookies, and I was happy to receive loads of compliments. (I really don’t mean to brag, but they’re basically the best cookies ever. If you like coconut.)

The whole experience definitely brought back memories from the first week of class, when we learned about and made bento boxes. The love and time and care put into the bentos by Japanese mothers is what makes them so special, even if they don’t look like Hello Kitty. I felt the same way about my cookies. They weren’t particularly pretty, or all the same size, but I’m pretty sure you could taste the love.

Who knows, maybe that was just the coconut.