My mother made perfectly shaped dainty cookies that put Martha Stewart\u2019s to shame. But the texture tended to be on the dry side. I prefer mine chewy. That led me to altering her recipe. So what if my cookies were lopsided and flat? They were delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One morning, my four-year-old followed the sweet aroma to the kitchen where he found me baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies. He climbed up on a chair at the table and reached his pudgy little hand as far as it would go. I grabbed a broken treat and handed it to him. \u201cHere, you can eat the ugly ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a worried look on his face, he replied, \u201cMommy, I can\u2019t eat that many.\u201d No denying it. My cookies were nothing to look at, but, oh the taste \u2013 everyone raved about them. My son insisted I market them one day. Move over, Mrs. Fields! This started the family joke \u2013 the secret recipe could never be shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than thirty years later, I still bake my signature cookies for every family get-together. No one enjoys them more than my ten-year-old granddaughter, Kylie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One evening, she called to let me know she\u2019d joined the local 4-H Club and enrolled in the Food & Nutrition group. In my day, participants met at the volunteer leader\u2019s home. Contemporary 4-H members choose a mentor to guide them. This Grandma was over the moon when Kylie asked if I\u2019d teach her how to make her favorite, my chocolate chip cookies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We held our first cooking class the following week. My granddaughter made herself at home in my kitchen. Checking and double-checking my handwritten notes, she carefully measured out the ingredients. As she diligently stirred the batter, she talked about her best friend, her summer plans, and the uncharted waters of middle school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the cookies baked, instead of savoring the aroma, I savored her preteen chatter, thinking my sassy little girl had grown up in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kylie sighed with relief when she took the last batch from the oven. I sampled one and gave her a thumbs up. After the cookies cooled, she placed them in a container to take home to her family. Her dad was outside when we pulled into her driveway. She bounded from the car and handed him a cookie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019d barely taken a bite when she blurted, \u201cAre mine as good as Grandma\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her shoulders slumped when he shook his head \u2018no.\u2019 She looked crestfallen until he said, \u201cThey\u2019re better.\u201d He glanced my way and winked. \u201cRemember Kylie. You can\u2019t divulge the secret recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exhibit day at the 4-H County Fair finally arrived. Although my granddaughter had made the recipe a dozen times under my watchful eye, she held up each carefully measured ingredient for approval and took her time placing the dough on the cookie sheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When she finished baking, she pointed to the flat, squiggly-edged objects on the counter and asked, \u201cGrandma, do you really think the judges will like my cookies?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHoney, don\u2019t worry about appearance. It\u2019s all about the taste.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She took her time choosing the four most eye-appealing ones (not an easy feat) and then arranged and rearranged them on a platter until the display met her satisfaction. Following the contest rules, she sat down and meticulously wrote the ingredients and instructions on an index card before attaching the recipe as required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fidgety on the ride to the fairgrounds, Kylie worried out loud whether the judges would award her a white, red, or coveted first-place blue ribbon for her cookie-making efforts. Truth be told, I was more nervous than she was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We pulled up to the building and Kylie got out of the car slowly, clutching her entry with both hands. \u201cWish me luck,\u201d she whispered before trudging inside the judging area where only members were allowed. Meanwhile, I sat in the car biting my nails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twenty minutes later, she sashayed out grinning from ear to ear. She held up a blue ribbon and waved it. \u201cAt first, the judge looked at my cookies and said, \u2018Oh, dear!\u2019\u201d My granddaughter giggled and continued, \u201cThen she tasted one and said, \u2018What a surprise. These are heavenly.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the way home Kylie said, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Grandma. Your secret recipe is safe. I left some of the ingredients off the card.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My shoulders shook. I tried not to laugh out loud as I pictured the judge, who\u2019d raved about the yummy chocolate chip cookies, trying to recreate the recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, I replied, \u201cOh, Sweetheart, that wasn\u2019t necessary. The real secret ingredient is love.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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