1 and cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when

you measure it)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour (don"t sift pack it down in the cup when you

measure it)

2 cups finely chopped walnuts

approximately cup white (granulated) sugar in a small bowl Melt the chocolate chips with the b.u.t.ter either in a saucepan on the stovetop over LOW heat, or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. (Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.) Mix in the sugar and let it cool to slightly above room temperature, just enough so that it won"t cook the eggs when you add them!

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Mix in vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.

Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each cup. Mix in the chopped walnuts and give the dough a final stir by hand.

Chill the dough for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better.

When you"re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Roll 1-inch dough b.a.l.l.s with your impeccably clean hands. (This is messy - wear thin plastic gloves if you wish. If the dough becomes too warm and sticky, return it to the refrigerator and try again later!) Drop the dough b.a.l.l.s into a small bowl with the white sugar and roll around to coat them. Then place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. (You can also spray the cookie sheet with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper.) Smush the dough b.a.l.l.s down with a greased spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then use a metal spatula to remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling. (If you leave the cookies on the cookie sheet too long, they"ll stick.) Yield: 4 to 5 dozen yummy cookies, depending on cookie size.

"There sure are a lot of cookie recipes!" Alice said, paging through them. "Have you baked all of them, Hannah?"

"Every one. And Lisa and I have served all of them down at The Cookie Jar at one time or another."

"I noticed that you serve different cookies almost every day," Bertie pointed out.

"That"s right. We always bake at least ten kinds and that"s not counting the bar cookies."

"But the bar cookies aren"t here," Rose said, looking concerned. "I was looking for the Ooey Gooey Chewy Cookie Bar recipe."

Hannah reached over and flipped Rose"s binder to the next section. "They"re right here," she said. "You"re not going to serve them down at the cafe, are you?"

"Of course not!" Rose looked slightly affronted. "I"d never do that without your permission. You don"t serve cheeseburgers, and I won"t serve Ooey Gooey Chewy Cookie Bars. It wouldn"t be fair."

"That"s the way I feel. When people want a roast beef sandwich and a slice of coconut cake, they come to you at the cafe. And when they want a Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookie or an Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie, they come to me."

"That"s why Lake Eden"s such a good place to live," Delores said. "We all look out for each other. And speaking of looking out, has anyone looked out the window lately? Rayne Phillips on KCOW was predicting another storm this morning."

"I"ll check," Lisa said, heading for the kitchen to take a peek out the door to the parking lot. She was back a minute later, rubbing her hands together. "It"s cold out there," she reported. "The wind"s picked up and the snow is blowing across the parking lot. It"s not that bad, though."

Delores looked relieved. "Good. Carrie and I have to go out to the hospital later to visit some patients."

"Earl"s stopping by to pick me up in an hour," Carrie said. "If the roads are bad, he"ll take us out there in the tow truck."

"Perfect!" Delores exclaimed.

Hannah exchanged shocked glances with Andrea and Mich.e.l.le. Earl"s tow truck had seen hard use this winter and it was far from the cleanest vehicle on the road. Their mother was dressed in a designer suit in a soft pale green material that was probably cashmere, and it would show even the tiniest speck of dirt. Their elegantly dressed mother had never ridden in a tow truck as far as Hannah knew, and Delores must have really wanted to get out to the hospital in order to agree to Carrie"s plan. Had their mother, who"d never been known for her charity work, experienced a change of heart now that she"d organized the Rainbow Ladies? Or was there another reason Delores went to the hospital almost every day?

Bar Cookies

APPLE ORCHARD BARS.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

cup b.u.t.ter (1 stick, 4 ounces, pound)

cup white (granulated) sugar

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a gla.s.s with a fork)

cup rolled oats (uncooked oatmeal I used Quaker

Quick-1 Minute)

1 cup peeled chopped apple (I used 2 medium Gala apples,

cored, peeled, and seeded of course.)

2 cups flaked coconut

1 and cups all-purpose flour (not sifted pack it down in