Free The Secret Ingredient by George Edward Stanley Page B

cookies all day! I wish I had some of them right now.” Katie Lynn glanced around and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Mom just tried to bake some, but it didn’t work out.”
    “Katie Lynn, if you want cookies, you should bake some yourself.”
    “Me? Are you serious, Grandma?”
    “You’ve seen me do it a million times, dear. Weren’t you paying attention?”
    “Well, yes, but …”
    “Then I’m sure you can do it. Your mother has all of my recipes in her recipe box. You know, the gray metal thing covered with dust?”
    “I guess I could try, Grandma.”
    “That’s my girl. Just do yourself afavor—keep your mother out of the kitchen!”
    “Don’t worry. I will.”
    “Speaking of your mother, is she there?”
    “She can’t talk now, Grandma.”
    “Then just tell her I called and I’ll talk to her later.”
    After Katie Lynn hung up, she punched in Tina’s number.
    “I can’t go to Florida,” she explained. “Don’t tell anyone, but my parents said we can’t afford it this summer.”
    “That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Maybe we’ll get to go next summer.”
    “Maybe,” said Katie Lynn. “The good news is, I just talked to Grandma. She said I should try to bake some of her cookies myself. So I think I’ll try today.”
    “Can I help?”

    “Sure. My mom has all of her recipes. I’m going to bake my favorite kind first. Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chunk.”
    “Oh, wait a minute,” Tina said. “I can’t right now. I have to baby-sit my little brother all afternoon. How about tomorrow?”
    Katie Lynn thought for a moment. “I have an idea. You can sleep over. Then we can get started first thing in the morning.”

The Secret Ingredient
    “R ise and shine!” Katie Lynn sang.
    Tina opened her eyes and groaned.
    Katie Lynn peered at her watch. “It’s four o’clock.”
    Tina yawned. “I can’t believe we slept so late.” She rolled over in her sleeping bag.
    “It’s four o’clock
in the morning
,” Katie Lynn replied.
    “What?”
Tina cried. “Why did you wake me up so early?”
    “Real bakers start at dawn,” Katie Lynn said. “Besides, I want to surprise my mom and dad at breakfast.”
    “Cookies for breakfast?” Tina said. “Hmm. That actually sounds pretty good.”
    The girls made a beeline for the kitchen.
    “First things first,” said Katie Lynn. She read the ingredients for the Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe out loud.
    ¾ cup vegetable shortening
    1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
    ½ cup granulated sugar
    1 egg
    ¼ cup water
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    3 cups uncooked oats
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon baking soda
    1 cup walnuts
    1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
    Tina took an egg out of the refrigerator and dropped it on the floor. Katie Lynn could tell that her friend was still half asleep. She searched the pantry for the rest of the ingredients.
    “Believe it or not, we have everything,” Katie Lynn said finally. “Grandma must have bought this stuff the last time she was here.”
    At that moment, Mrs. Cooke came into the kitchen. “What are you two doing down here so early?” she asked as she turned on the coffeemaker.
    “We’re baking some of Grandma’s cookies,” Katie Lynn explained.
    Tina giggled. “Cookies for breakfast.”
    “Why are
you
up so early, Mom?”
    “Your father and I couldn’t sleep,” Mrs. Cooke replied. “So I came down to make some coffee. I might as well stay and help you bake your cookies.”
    “No, really, Mrs. Cooke! You don’t have to do that!” Tina turned to Katie Lynn. “We want to do it all by ourselves, don’t we?”
    Katie Lynn nodded. “It’s very important that young people learn to be independent, Mom. We … uh … learned that in school last year.”
    “Well, okay. If you’re
sure
you don’t need my help. But don’t forget the secret ingredient,” Mrs. Cooke added.

    Katie Lynn frowned. “Secret ingredient?” It sure wasn’t written on the recipe