“Yes. I timed you. If I hadn’t said anything, you probably would have gone on for another ten minutes.”

“But I hate that machine! I guess I must have been so busy thinking about the case and how to proceed, I lost track of time.”

Lisa brought her a cookie and Hannah had all she could do not to stuff it in her mouth all at once. Instead, she made it last a whole two minutes even though it just about killed her.

“Would you like another?” Lisa asked her.

“No! I mean, yes, of course I’d like another. But no, I know I shouldn’t have one.”

“That’s good willpower, Hannah,” Andrea complimented her.

“It’s not willpower, it’s a precaution. Just get those luscious cookies out of my sight before I grab the jar, run out the door, and lock myself in my cookie truck so I can eat every one.”

DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Hannah’s 1st Note: This is an adaptation of Friar Rudolf’s recipe for Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake.

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)

3 cups white (granulated) sugar

4 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup cocoa powder (plain American cocoa—I used Hershey’s)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

5 cups flour (pack it down when you measure it)

2 cups chopped (and drained and rinsed) sauerkraut

Prepare the sauerkraut by rinsing it off with cold water under the faucet, and draining it in a sieve or colander. Rinsing is very important. Make sure you rinse it well. (You will chop it later when it’s thoroughly drained.)

Hannah’s 2nd Note: This is easier with an electric mixer, but you can do it by hand.

Beat the softened butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs and mix them in thoroughly.

Mix in the vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Stir (or beat on low speed) until everything is well incorporated.

Add half of the buttermilk (1/2 cup) and half of the flour (21/2 cups). Beat until smooth.

Add the remaining half of the buttermilk and the remaining half of the flour. Beat until smooth.

Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you used an electric mixer, remove the bowl with the cookie dough. You’ll have to add this last ingredient by hand. Even finely chopped sauerkraut tends to wrap itself around the beaters.

Dump the sauerkraut on a cutting board, and chop it finely with a knife. You can also chop it in a food processor, using the steel blade and a pulsing motion. It’s very important to chop it up into tiny little pieces.

Measure one cup of sauerkraut, packing it down in the cup. Pat the sauerkraut dry with paper towels, and add it to the cookie dough. Stir it in thoroughly.