Wedding Cookies (4 page)

Katie Lynn looked up.

“Tina!” she cried. “That’s it!”

Tina looked puzzled. “What’s it?” she said.

“Cookie flowers!” Katie Lynn said. “I’ve seen pictures of cookie bouquets and
cookie wreaths in magazines. They’re beautiful. It’ll be our wedding present to Grandma.”

“Hmm,” Tina said. She patted the back of her wig into place. “That might work.”

Katie Lynn flipped through the magazines on the kitchen table. “Here it is! Peanut Butter Cookie Flowers.”

The cookies looked like flowers. Each of them had different-colored centers. Katie Lynn showed Tina the recipe.

“Oh, Katie Lynn!” said Tina. “This will be a great present!”

“It sure will,” said Katie Lynn.

They started gathering the ingredients. Then they took them to Tina’s house so Grandma wouldn’t find out what they were doing.

They spent the next three hours baking the cookie flowers. They used strawberry preserves for red centers. They used apricot preserves for yellow centers. They used grape jelly for purple centers.

“Now we need to make the bouquets and wreaths,” said Katie Lynn.

“We have some wire upstairs,” said Tina. “Mom uses it for her crafts.”

Tina found the crafts wire. Then they started to make the bouquets. They poked wire into the cookies for stems. They tied the wire stems together with ribbon to
make bouquets. To make the wreaths, they made circles of cookies connected with wire.

When they finished, they had four bouquets and six wreaths.

Now they just had to keep the relatives from eating them until the wedding.

The next morning, Katie Lynn woke up early. The wedding day was finally here!

Everyone was running around, trying to get ready. Flossie was helping Grandma get dressed. She had promised to help Katie Lynn and Tina, too. But as they started toward Grandma’s room, they tripped over Johnny. He was sitting on the stairs chewing on the bridegroom from the wedding cake.

“Johnny! Stop that!” Katie Lynn cried. She took the plastic figure from him. Johnny ran downstairs and out the back door. “Look at this, Tina. It’s all yucky.”

“Just wash it off,” Tina said. “Nobody will care.”

Katie Lynn washed the bridegroom in hot, soapy water. Tina put it back on top of the wedding cake. Then she and Katie Lynn went on up to Grandma’s room.

Katie Lynn couldn’t believe how pretty Grandma looked. “You’re a real bride!” she said.

“Just like in those magazines,” Tina added.

“You really are gorgeous,” Flossie added.

Grandma blushed. “Thank you!” she said.

Flossie laid out Katie Lynn’s and Tina’s dresses. They quickly put them on and
walked around the room like models.

“Girls!” Flossie said. “You are absolutely breathtaking!”

“Thank you, Flossie,” Katie Lynn and Tina said.

“Tina, you remind me of myself when I was your age,” Flossie added. She patted Tina’s wig approvingly.

Katie Lynn and Tina whirled around the room a couple more times. Then they hurried out to the backyard. Several guests were already seated. Katie Lynn and Tina put the cookie wreaths on the tables.

“Those cookie flowers look great,” Mr. Chesterfield said. “I want you to bake some of them for my restaurant.”

“We can do that,” said Katie Lynn.

Just as they went back inside the house, Grandma shouted, “It’s time! Line up in the kitchen!”

Katie Lynn and Tina grabbed their bouquets. Then they handed Grandma and Mrs. Cooke theirs.

They held their breath.

“How beautiful!” Grandma said. “A cookie flower bouquet! It’s perfect.”

“It’s your wedding present from me and Tina,” said Katie Lynn.

“The florist ran out of flowers,” Tina added. “That’s what gave us the idea.”

Grandma gave them both a big hug.

Mrs. Cooke handed Jonathan the rings. “Put them in your pocket,” she said. “Don’t lose them.”

“Okay,” Jonathan said.

Katie Lynn and Tina got in front of Jonathan.

Just then, the wedding march started. DUM-DUM-DA-DUM!

Katie Lynn and Tina headed out the
kitchen door into the backyard.

Jonathan was right behind them. “I’m going to eat your bouquets,” he whispered.

“Your cousin is going to ruin the wedding,” Tina whispered to Katie Lynn.

“He’s
still
not my cousin yet!” Katie Lynn whispered back.

Finally, they arrived in front of the preacher. Mr. Wilbarger took Grandma’s hand.

Jonathan made faces at Katie Lynn and Tina during the ceremony.

But Katie Lynn and Tina ignored him.

When it was over, Mr. Wilbarger kissed Grandma. Everybody clapped.

“I now pronounce you and Jonathan cousins,” Tina whispered.

Katie Lynn rolled her eyes.

The music started again. Grandma and Mr. Wilbarger hurried back down the aisle.
Katie Lynn, Tina, and Jonathan were right behind them.

Grandma and Mr. Wilbarger cut the wedding cake. Katie Lynn, Tina, and Jonathan served it to the guests. Nobody noticed that the groom had been chewed on.

After that, everyone danced for a while. Mr. Chesterfield and Flossie did the tango. Fifi kept nipping at Mr. Chesterfield’s heels.

Finally, Grandma and Mr. Wilbarger stood together on the back steps.

“I’m going to throw my bouquet now!” Grandma cried. She tossed the bouquet high into the air.

Tina jumped up to get it. But it was Jonathan who caught it. He started eating the cookies.

“Your cousin is really weird!” Tina
whispered to Katie Lynn. “But he’s still kind of cute.” She sighed. “I wonder if he likes girls with green hair.”

Finally, it was time for Grandma and Mr. Wilbarger to leave for their honeymoon. “Bye, everybody!” they called.

“Wait a minute, Grandma!” Katie Lynn said.

She and Tina handed everyone bags of colored sprinkles.

Within minutes, Grandma and Mr. Wilbarger were covered with red and green and yellow sprinkles.

“So your marriage will be sweet!” Tina said.

“Save the rest of the sprinkles for the cookie company, girls!” Grandma shouted as she and Mr. Wilbarger headed for their car. “I have a wonderful idea for a new cookie!”

PEANUT BUTTER
COOKIE FLOWERS

Put the softened butter and peanut butter in a large bowl. Mix them together by hand. Then add the sugar and brown sugar.
Mix the batter until it’s blended.

Pour in the orange juice. Mix well.

Mix the flour, the baking soda, and the salt in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually stir them into the peanut butter mixture.

Use your hands to shape the dough into one-inch balls. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet about one inch apart. Press down the center of each ball with your thumb. The edges of the ball will spread out like the petals of a flower.

Put the cookie sheet in the freezer. Freeze the dough until it’s firm. Then have an adult turn on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fill the centers of the cookies with ¼ teaspoon of different-colored jams, jellies, preserves, or marmalades.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Then let them cool for about 20 minutes.