• 250 g peanut butter or groundnut paste
• 100 g brown sugar
• 75 g shredded coconut or chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the peanut butter in a large bowl and beat the brown sugar into it until it is well combined and the peanut butter is slightly soft and creamy. Toast the shredded coconut (if you’re using it) in a dry frying pan and set it aside.

Add the beaten egg and vanilla to the peanut butter mixture and combine well. If you are using the coconut or chocolate chips, add them now. The dough should come together nicely in the bowl when it’s ready. Wrap it in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 170°C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Take teaspoon-sized balls of the dough and place them on the baking tray, leaving room for them to spread. Then flatten them down slightly with your fingers or the back of a fork.

Bake the cookies for about 12–15 minutes until they seem dry on top and crisped round the edges. Cool on a wire rack. The cookies are quite fragile and crumbly because of the peanut butter, so handle them carefully. Allow them to cool completely and then enjoy.