It may not have the glitz and glamour of a gala premiere, with red carpets and starlets parading past the paparazzi, but the Black Box Film Series at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts is like a mini film festival every month. The series, which is run in partnership with the Film Circuit, a division of the Toronto International Film Festival, brings Canadian, independent and international films to the Studio Theatre one Monday a month through November. Another series of five films will be screened from February through June. This month’s film is Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on Earth. It follows the journey of Chand from India to Canada to marry Rocky, a man she’s never met. As she settles into her life in Brampton, she finds herself trapped between tradition and her desire for happiness. To cope, she retreats into a parallel fantasy world. But when fantasy and reality collide, she must choose between her duty to her family and freedom. Heaven and Earth screens on Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. And what better way to enjoy the movie than with cookies. Lyndsay Anderson, the client services supervisor for the Shadbolt, shares her ‘Nan’s’ recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. “They are heaven on earth,” jokes Anderson. “From the time she let me help her make them, I’ve been hooked and since then, I’ve shared only the finished product with friends and family. It’s time to spread the joy with the rest of the world — or at least the citizens of Burnaby.”

Nan’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter (room temperature)

1 cup brown sugar (packed depending on your sweet tooth)

1 Tsp real vanilla extract

1/2 cup boiling water

1 Tsp baking soda

2 cups rolled oats (try not to use quick oats )

1/2 Tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional but so much better with walnuts)

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix in the butter, sugar and vanilla together until completely blended. Pour the boiling water over the baking soda then slowly add it to the butter mixture, mixing thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix the oats, flour, salt, chocolate chips and walnuts together then add gradually to the wet ingredients. I use a tablespoon to scoop the dough to make sure the cookies are all the same size for baking.

Bake at 350 F for 9 -12 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!