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

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)

2 cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup Nutella (like peanut butter, but made with chocolate and hazelnuts)

2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)

3 cups all-purpose flour (no need to sift)

Microwave the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl to melt it. Add the brown sugar and the vanilla. Stir until it’s blended, then add the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Measure out the Nutella. (I spray the inside of my measuring cup with Pam so it won’t stick.) Add it to the bowl and mix it in.

Pour in the beaten eggs and stir them in.

Add the flour and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (If the dough is too sticky to form into balls, chill it for a half-hour or so and try again.)

Push the dough balls down just a tiny bit so they won’t roll off the sheet when you slide them into the oven. (Yes, that’s happened to me—it’s a horrible mess, even with a self-cleaning oven!)

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes. The balls will flatten out, all by themselves.

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 5 to 6 dozen chocolaty, nutty treats, depending on cookie size.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

It was the best night’s sleep she’d had in four days. Hannah woke up at four-thirty and sat up in bed. Moishe was purring beside her, curled up on his own pillow for a change, and he opened one eye, his good one, to stare at her in surprise.

“Who did you expect? Norman?” she asked, smiling at her furry friend. “You’re home, and so am I. And doesn’t it feel absolutely wonderful?”

Moishe didn’t comment. She didn’t expect him to. He just rolled over so that she could rub his back and scratch the base of his tail. Hannah chuckled softly under her breath. She talked to Moishe frequently, just as if he could understand her and answer her questions when she asked them. She was thinking about what she’d do if he opened his mouth and answered her in a tiny cat voice. She’d be so shocked that she’d probably have a heart attack on the spot. And that would put an end to her silly questions.

“Daylight in the swamp,” she uttered her usual morning greeting to him. “Let’s go out to the kitchen and see if the cat fairies left you something good to eat.”