“And who gets the credit for that one?” Olivia waggled her thumbs at herself. “Moi—Olivia Baron! I warned her about dads, how they always give orders. I bet he tried to tell her what to do, and she said she was in charge of her own life, thank you very much.”
Emma shut the lid of her suitcase and shoved it under her bunk. “Either that or the other way around. Vivek told me Lucy didn’t think her father acted the way a dad was supposed to. He didn’t seem to know what she should do at all.”
Olivia shrugged. “Same thing,” she said. “And either way, I get credit.”
“Vivek said something about babies and their toes, too,” Emma said. “How Lucy’s mom turned out to be paying attention just when Lucy least expected it? I didn’t quite understand. I was trying to spread mayo on my sandwich, and he just kept talking. Oh—he also showed me a picture of his little sister. What a cutie!”
“Could we be done with Vivek now?” Grace said.
“Looks like someone isn’t,” Olivia said.
“You must mean Lucy,” Grace said.
“And speaking of Lucy,” said a voice from the doorway—a voice that turned out to be Lucy’s own.
“Hey, you!” Hannah had been filling out paperwork while half listening to her campers’ chatter. Now she jumped up from her desk. “Welcome back! Do you need help with your stuff?”
At the same time, Grace, Emma, and Olivia were shrieking “Lucy!” “Lucy!” “Lucy!” and overwhelming their friend with hugs.
“Uh, hi. It’s great to be here, you guys.” Lucy smiled weakly. “Uh, is lunch over? Is there any food? My mom forgot her credit card, and we drove all the way from—”
“Oh, you poor thing!” There was a general chorus of concern.
“I’ve got cookies,” Hannah said, then laughed. “Of course I do. Uh, Jack sent them to me—like a welcome back to camp. I think he’s sorry he’s not here.”
“Wait, what?” said Olivia.
“Jack?” said Emma.
“Seriously?” said Grace.
“Yes. Jack. Seriously. And I guess I’ll explain in a minute. Emma—run and talk to Mrs. Arthur in the kitchen. See if she won’t—,” Hannah started to say.
“On my way!” Emma tripped out the door.
A few minutes later, Lucy sat at Hannah’s desk eating a PB&J while Grace, Emma, and Olivia ate Hannah’s chocolate chip cookies.
“Yes, Jack and I are back together,” Hannah said. “And yes, you guys were right about Travis. But that doesn’t make it okay for you to pry into my personal life. No more of that this summer. Promise?”
“How can we promise? You might need our help,” said Emma.
“Promise,” Hannah repeated.
“Oh, all right. We promise,” said Olivia.
“I’m not blind, O. I can see that your fingers are crossed,” Hannah said.
“What? My fingers?” Olivia said. “They must have done that on their own.”
“Are there any more cookies?” Lucy asked.
“Uh-oh,” said Emma. “This might be the last one.”
Monday, July 3
Dear Jack,
Greetings from Flowerpot Cabin, and Happy Independence Day!
It was very kind of you to send our beloved counselor, Hannah, a box of chocolate chip cookies to welcome her back to camp. As you know, we residents of Flowerpot Cabin know a thing or two about baking, and we can sincerely opine that your cookies were of the very highest quality.
While we are devastated that you decided to get a real job this summer instead of coming back to camp, we will strive to have a good time anyway, and we also promise to take good care of Hannah. She says she does not want us running her romantic life anymore, but we did get her to admit that so far we have done an awesome job.
Very, very, very, very sincerely!!!!
Olivia, Grace, Emma, and Lucy
P.S. Send more cookies.
Cookie Recipes
Hey, cookie bakers!
Baking is a blast, but make sure you ask an adult for help with the oven or mixer. Have fun!
XX, Hannah
Chocolate Macaroons
(Makes about 36 macaroons)
2 1/2 cups dried unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 tablespoons potato starch or flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces (one bag) chocolate chips, divided
Stir together shredded coconut, potato starch, sugar, and salt till blended. Break up any chunks of potato starch with a fork.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg whites and vanilla till frothy.
Pour the egg white mixture into the dried coconut mixture. Use a fork to stir the batter together, making sure the coconut is fully and evenly moistened by the egg whites. Let the mixture sit for 20 to 30 minutes while the coconut rehydrates.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir the batter again with a fork. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop up the batter in tablespoonfuls and drop them onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced. They won’t spread, so you can bake them fairly close together.
Bake the macaroons for 20 to 25 minutes till the bottom edges turn golden and the tips of the coconut shreds start to brown. Remove from the oven. Don’t overbake or they will become dry. Cool on baking sheet. When cool, first place them on a flat surface lined with parchment paper. Melt 9 ounces chocolate chips, either in the microwave or in a double boiler. I melt mine in the microwave at 50 percent power for 1 minute, stir, then continue to melt in 15-second bursts at 50 percent power till the chocolate becomes smooth.
Grasp each macaroon at the top and dip the wider base into the melted chocolate, twisting it into the chocolate and coating it about a quarter inch up the sides. When all the macaroons have been dipped, melt the remaining 4 ounces chocolate chips and scoop them into a plastic zipper bag. Gently squeeze all of the chocolate to one lower corner of the bag, then close the top of the bag, leaving a small gap so it’s not completely sealed shut and air can escape. In the corner where you’ve pushed the melted chocolate, use scissors to snip a very small corner off the bag. You’ll be able to squeeze a small, thin stream of chocolate through this hole.
Drizzle the tops of the macaroons with the chocolate, making a zigzag motion to decorate. Dry for several hours or overnight.
Thumbprint Cookies
(Makes 36 cookies)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry jam
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
In a mixer bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about a minute. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for an hour (or up to a day).
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets, either by lining with parchment paper or by greasing and lightly coating with flour.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Press your thumb into the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Fill indentations with jam, but don’t overfill.
Bake about 15 minutes, switching the cookies between the upper and lower racks of the oven halfway through. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.
Quick Shortbread Cookies
(Makes about 16 cookies)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and
lightly dust with flour two large baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add flour and continue to mix until mixture forms a soft dough. Then use your fingers to gently form the dough into a ball.
Dust the counter or other surface with powdered sugar and roll your rolling pin in it. Then use the same surface to roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut into rounds and place on prepared baking sheets.
Bake 16 minutes and check. Are cookies pale golden brown? If so, you’re done. If not, bake a couple more minutes. Let cool on baking sheets a few minutes before transferring to wire rack.
Hannah’s Lemon Cookies
(Makes about 36 cookies)
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 ¾ cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Use a food processor to whiz lemon zest and sugar till zest becomes damp, tiny, and mixed in, about 15 seconds. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and pulse to combine. Add butter cubes and pulse about 15 times—till the mixture looks like cornmeal.
In a separate container, mix lemon juice, egg yolk, and vanilla, then add to the mixture in the food processor and whiz about 10 seconds. Now you should have dough. If not, process the mixture a very few more seconds. Then turn dough out onto the counter and form into a log, roughly 10 inches long by 2 inches in diameter. Chill at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375°F. When the dough is thoroughly chilled, slice it into 1/4-inch rounds and place them on parchment-lined cookie sheets, 1 inch apart.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then on wire rack.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When MARTHA FREEMAN was little, her bedtime ritual included a cookie, a glass of milk, and an entry in The Golden Book Encyclopedia, read with her dad. She hopes she brushed her teeth after that, but she does not actually remember. Since those days, she has grown up; graduated from college; traveled around the world; worked as a reporter, copy editor, and college teacher; and written twenty-seven books for young people, including The Secret Cookie Club series, Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question, and Strudel’s Forever Home. She always remembers to floss. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Learn more at marthafreeman.com.
A PAULA WISEMAN BOOK
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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Also by Martha Freeman
The Secret Cookie Club
Campfire Cookies
Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question
SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2017 by Martha Freeman
Jacket illustrations copyright © 2017 by Brenna Vaughan
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Book design by Krista Vossen
The text for this book was set in Kepler Std.
CIP data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4814-4824-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4814-4826-0 (eBook)
P.S. Send More Cookies Page 15