The Great Scientific Cookie Caper

- Susan Yoder Ackerman

“Aaaa!” Grandma grabbed potholders and pulled out a smoking tray of blackened cookies. “I got distracted and forgot to set the timer again.”

“We can’t eat these!” squealed Samia.

“You’re right,” Grandma agreed as she scraped the burnt cookies into the trash. “But don’t look so sad. We can make another batch of chocolate chip cookies. It won’t take long!”

“Yum! Will they be puffy and soft and gooey in the middle? That’s my favorite,” said Samia.

“I like mine flatter and crisper,” said Lucas.

“Well, I’m never sure how my cookies will turn out, especially when I get distracted,” said Grandma. “I guess we’ll just have to take our chances.”

Lucas thought for a moment. “Do we have to leave it to chance?” he said. “Is there a way to know which kind we’re going to get? Like, scientifically?”

“Ooh, I bet the cookies will get gooey if we add soft stuff!” said Samia.

“Maybe strawberry jam? Blueberry yogurt?”

“We could try that,” laughed Grandma. “But hold on. There’s still some dough in the bowl. Let’s bake the rest of these first. We can experiment on the next batch.”

“Scientifically,” insisted Lucas. “And this time, I’ll set the timer.”