When Padmavati returned to the ashram from Salt Lake City, Utah, for her three-month karma yoga stay — she had previously done her teacher training and advanced teacher training here — she was assigned the very job she had been afraid to do. An enthusiastic cook and baker since the age of eight, she transformed her diet ten years ago and had lost her passion for desserts, especially the traditional high sugar and butter recipes she had previously used.

Then she started to research substitutions for vegan desserts and realized you can substitute flax seed and water for egg, soaked cashew for cream cheese, coconut cream for butter. Each day, she chants as she prepares an assortment of mouth-watering desserts. “I generate as much love as I can when I bake,” she says. “That’s the #1 ingredient.”

“Made With Love” Sugar Cookies — Vanilla, Lemon, and Chocolate-Orange

Ingredients (makes 30 2-inch cookies)

Cookies

1 ½ cups flour

⅓ cup virgin coconut oil

2 cups powdered sugar

1-3 tbsp coconut cream

2 tsp organic vanilla extract

Flavour options:

To make citrus cookies, replace vanilla with zest from one fruit and 2 tbsp juice

For chocolate-orange flavor, substitute ½ cup cocoa for ½ cup flour, add zest from 1 orange

Note: If you are gluten-free, substitute oat, almond or coconut flour for all-purpose flour.

Frosting (optional)

2 cups powdered sugar

Non-toxic food colouring

2 tbsp coconut oil

1-3 tbsp coconut cream

Preparation

Cookies

1. Chill contents of 14 oz. can of coconut milk overnight in order for the cream to rise to the top. Take the coconut cream out of the fridge and scoop the separated cream into a bowl. Save remainder of cream for use in frosting.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour and powdered sugar until combined. Drizzle flavouring and coconut oil over mixture, using fork to gently mix until it resembles a crumble.
3. Gradually add coconut cream one tablespoon at a time,until you can form the mixture into a ball.
4. Roll out cookies with rolling pin to desired thickness. Make shapes with cookie cutters or press into silicone molds.
5. Place cookies on metal sheet and freeze for a half hour.
6. Frost cookies as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Frosting

1. Mix powdered sugar and food colouring — 8 drops of red will make a light pink.
2. Mix in coconut oil, gradually adding separated coconut cream until frosting is the desired consistency.
3. Alternatively, dust the cookies with icing sugar.