Caught- Chocolate-Chip Handed

This past week was Casey's last at summer "camp." (He didn't go to camp- he attended our local public school's summer ESS (Extended School Services) program, which was fantastic.) As a thank you to the staff, I wanted to send Casey in with fruit this week. Stuff they could enjoy at work or take home. The timing had to be right- because they already had an ice cream social, a trip to the movies and pool, and a field trip to the beach planned on three of the days.

So I called our local Edible Arrangements store. They deliver, but their business hours were only 8 to 5. And it's too hard to explain where to deliver on an elementary school campus during the summer. Especially when the location doesn't really have a room number.

So I went to Plan B. There's a local pizza place that makes amazing "homemade" chocolate chip cookies. Seriously. They are incredible. Way better than whatever break-and-bake I'd probably spend three or four hours making. So I bought some. They gave them to us on a restaurant-looking tray, and Casey and I transferred them into those disposable Tupperware containers, which we then decorated the tops of with thank you notes.

A couple days later, as I was dropping off Casey for his last day, one of the staff members cornered me, in front of the lead coordinator of the program. "You have to tell us your secret," she practically begged.

I tried to change the subject, "They're really good, aren't they?"

"Yes! What's your secret?" she implored me to share. . .

Hmm. What to do? Lie? Tell her it's a family secret? Feign ignorance (I just add extra chocolate chips to the regular Tollhouse recipe)?

Nah. I just couldn't look at these people who care for my son day in and day out and lie.

So I told the truth. I'd thought about baking, but I knew this great place to buy them, and I figured they'd enjoy something I bought that was delicious more than something I'd spent hours and hours on that was just so-so.

I think they were disappointed.

I hope it doesn't change the taste for them. We really did pick them out with the very best intentions. They really are good cookies.