Ellie P. Campbell Photography

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a shallow 9- to 9 1/2-inch square baking pan (1 to 1 1/2 inches deep). Line bottom and 2 sides with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Butter parchment. Blend together butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl with a fork. Sift in flour and blend with fork until a soft dough forms. Spread dough evenly in baking pan using an offset spatula or back of a spoon, then prick all over with fork. Bake until golden (I recommend slightly overbaking them until they’re browning), 15 to 20 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes. Cut into 3- or 4-inch squares.

Coconut Chocolate Pudding

• 1 14-ounce can of coconut milk (lite is fine), divided
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder (doubled from 1/4 cup – This started out by accident, but it made for a nice, thick pudding.)
• 1/4 cup tablespoons alkalized* dutch-cocoa powder, sifted (* I used TerrAmazon‘s Organic Cacao Powder, which is non-alkalized, but it worked. Also, this was originally 3 tbsp, but I doubled it to compensate for the additional arrowroot.)
• 3.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (Make sure to use high-quality chocolate, like Dagoba.)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted in a dry skillet
• curry powder (optional to use as topping)

Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously for a few seconds. In a heavy saucepan, bring 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, sugar, and the salt (just) to a simmer over low heat. While that is heating, in a separate bowl whisk together the remaining coconut milk, arrowroot powder, and cacao powder. It should look like a chocolate frosting.

When the coconut milk and sugar mixture has started simmering, take about 1/4 cup of it and whisk it little by little into the arrowroot mixture. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting, and drizzle the arrowroot mixture into the simmering pan of coconut milk, whisking vigorously. Keep whisking until the pudding comes back up barely to a simmer and thickens up a bit, about a minute.

Remove the saucepan from heat, and continue whisking while it is cooling for about a minute. Now add the chocolate and vanilla, and keep stirring until the pudding is smooth. To prevent a skin from forming, press plastic wrap up against the surface of the pudding. Chill thoroughly (takes about three hours).

Serve over one shortbread square sprinkled with the toasted coconut flakes and a dusting of curry powder.