Leave your butter on the counter for an hour or two until it reaches room temperature, or microwave it in a bowl for about 8 to 10 seconds until softened but not melted.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, dry milk powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.

In a separate bowl use a mixer to beat the butter until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes, it's better to over mix than under mix for this step). Add both brown and granulated sugar to the butter and mix together for another 5 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until combined.

From now on be careful not to over mix the batter. Slowly add half of the flour to the butter and sugar, and slowly mix just until combined. Add the rest of the flour and mix just until combined. This should be about 30 seconds to a minute total.

Add the shredded coconut and any other optional ingredients to the batter and mix slowly until combined. This should be about 30 seconds to a minute total.

Chill the dough for at least an hour, overnight is better. Both the flavor and consistency will be improved.

Once chilled, scoop 1 tbsp or 40 grams of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Slightly press down on the ball to help the cookies bake more evenly.

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with silicone or parchment paper.

Place the cookie dough on the lined baking sheets. About 4 to 6 cookies per tray so they can spread out thinly. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 min. Move to a cooling rack to cool for another 5 before serving. These are best made the day they are going to be eaten.