—  They are nut cookies, Oma.

—  Delnütta, you should call them Delnütta, sweetie! Your little delicious nut delights.

Oma is Brigitte, my children’s paternal grandmother. She’s a 96-year-old German woman, an enthusiast who, for years now, has been ready to jump into the tasting game of my culinary explorations. When I am at home, I love experimenting with ingredients and flavours that no one can initially believe!  And I ask her to taste it. She has very good judgment – she just knows. Exceptionally, as was the case for Delnütta, when the recipe deserves to be reworked to find a place in our display counters, I'll bring her the version adapted to the production requirements. She'll identify almost down to each gram – okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little – every modification, every tweak! Two or three years ago, I wanted to develop a little vegan cookie, that is, without egg, grain, dairy products and without refined sugar. I wanted to start with a base of ground nuts and maple syrup – our good, local sugar – to create a paste that could be flavoured in different ways. I therefore only added a little cocoa powder and shredded coconut, then I rolled it into small balls. I put them in the oven for three minutes, enough time to form a thin crust, and I obtained a texture with a cookie-like crunch but with an inside like candy. Once I had struck a fine balance between the nuts and maple syrup, I could add what I wanted. I developed a variation in which a mixture of almonds and hazelnuts replaces the pecans, and I embellished it with oranges and cranberries. The hazelnut-rum-raisin trio is another delectable variation. I often freeze the raw balls and take them out a little ahead of time to then bake in the oven. Sometimes I even eat them raw! Four ingredients. Five minutes of prep. Three minutes to bake. Really, Delnütta is a blessing. It surprises, nourishes, sustains and comforts. They’re definitely next-level delicious.