Kateran into the kitchen where her mom was doing the dishes and announced, "Mom, I want to make cookies all by myself today!"Momsmiled. "That's ok with me. Are you sure you don't want any help?" Kate was already reaching for the big yellow mixing bowl. "Nope! I've got it!" Mom turned back to the sink, "Ok then. I'll be right here if you need me. Just call me when they're ready for the oven."
Kate hauled the mixing bowl to the table. "Do you want me to grab the cookbook for you?" Mom asked. "No thanks," said Kate, "I remember how to do it." She walked to the pantry and grabbed flour and sugar, then to the refrigerator to get milk and eggs.
Kate mixed in all of her new ingredients carefully dropped uneven blobs onto a cookie sheet, pressing in a few extra gummy worms for good luck. "Ready for the oven, Mom!" she called.
Mom gives Kate an encouraging nod, placed the cookies in the oven, and set the timer. Kate ran off to play while they were baking. Waiting is hard. As soon as they were done and cooled, Mom called her back into the kitchen. "Let's see how they turn out, Chef," she said.
Kate took one bite and made a face. "Yuck! What happened?" Mom smiled. "It's a little tricky without a recipe. It helps to know what ingredients you need and how much to add. Recipes also tell you how to mix everything together and how long to bake it so that it turns out right. Would you like to try again?" Mom asked. Kate nodded, "Maybe you could help me this time?" "I'd love that," Mom said brightly.
Mom and Kate looked at the cookbook, and Mom showed her how to measure each ingredient. They took turns mixing the batter and, together, they shaped the cookies and placed them on the baking tray. "These already smell so much better!" Kate beamed.
When they were done, Kate and Mom sat together dunking cookies into their milk and added a few notes to the recipe. Kate leaned against Mom, her face sticky with chocolate and happiness. "Can we make cupcakes now?"
