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#71 Sugar and Spice

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is baking cookies. Or, to be more honest, eating cookies — but you can’t have one without the other! From peppermint to gingerbread to iced sugar cookies, there are so many mouth-watering choices, and that’s just in my own culture. The flavors get even more varied and delectable as you head around the world.

 

But whether you’re a professional pastry chef in real life or someone whose cookies turn out looking more like lumps of coal, in stories our desserts can be whatever we want them to be. So get your imaginations preheating, because this week we’re going to be exploring all the different reasons and flavors that drive people to pick up the mixing bowl.

🥇 Winner

The Craving

Winner of Weekly Contest #71 🏆

cw: miscarriage  This could not wait till morning. The craving came on so sudden and intense that resisting never even crossed her mind. For some reason Claudia needed fudge. Maybe it was hormones. Maybe it was the fact that she finally had an appetite. But she needed fudge. Not the kind she usually made this time of year, melting chocolate chips in the microwave. Claudia needed the heavy, silky fudge her grandma used to make—the kind you made in a saucepan with a candy thermometer. Did you need a double broiler? Claudia wasn’t sure any...

359 likes 134 comments 134
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⭐️ Shortlisted

The Pinched Piquancy

Shortlisted for Contest #71 ⭐️

The cobblestone streets of the town of Glastonbury bustled with market activity in the late morning Wales sun. Peddlers of every sort sold their wares for coppers, shillings, and quid, or bartered to make fair and equitable trades. The smell of home-fires burning was in the air, mixed with the scents of perfumes, leather, fish, meat pies, and other freshly baked goods. The sheriff’s protuberant nose caught another less appealing odor too, and he stumbled to avoid a mountain of horse manure. He steadied himself and continued striding towards ...

43 likes 9 comments 9
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Serve Warm

Shortlisted for Contest #71 ⭐️

The smell roused me from my sleep, pulled me from the many sunken levels of my dreams. Same dream every time.  I saw up over the bed and rubbed my eyes. Sighed and looked over at the journal on the desk, the pen with a full amount of ink. Who was I kidding? I haven’t written anything since he died, not for myself, not anyone, so why would I write a letter to him, he who could not read my letter anymore, he who could not take my calls. I put in the effort to drive to the store and pick out the nicest notebook I could and the smoothest ...

38 likes 7 comments 7
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The Other Side of the Door

Shortlisted for Contest #71 ⭐️

The door to Diana’s room has been closed for days now. I sometimes hear tiptoeing on the wooden floors at night, the creak of the refrigerator door, the toilet’s flush. I might be lying on my bed, engrossed in a book, and hear the muted sounds of life, like a mouse rustling through the apartment.  “Hold on, Mom,” I’ll say, “I think I hear something.” And I listen to the little noises while my mother pouts on the other end of the line. I pray I’ll hear the tick-tick-tick of the gas lighting on the stove, or-- please please-- the sooth...

29 likes 9 comments 9
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Italian Scallions

Shortlisted for Contest #71 ⭐️

Anthony looked down at the charred crust of his latest pizza. He took another bite opposite the burnt end and evaluated the flavor. Take the temp down about five degrees, he wrote in his notebook. Change the schedule to have the birch wood go in every ninth pizza. Put the first two rounds of mozzarella on cheese cloth. Anthony put down his pen and looked up at the afternoon sky. The clouds were clearing for what should be an evening perfect for pizza. The Tenth Annual Food Truck Pizza Mixer was taking place in Clem...

23 likes 1 comment 1
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This week's prompts

Write about a group of people determined to win an award for making the biggest cookie ever.

– 61 stories

Write about someone investigating a break-in at a bakery. The only thing missing? A very secret ingredient.

– 106 stories

Write about two people who run rival bakeries, but fall in love during their town’s annual holiday festival.

– 136 stories

Write about someone trying to recreate a grandparent’s signature baked good from memory.

– 160 stories

Write about someone hosting a cookie exchange as a cover to hide the true reason for inviting one of their guests.

– 141 stories

Stories

The Craving

Winner of Weekly Contest #71 🏆

cw: miscarriage  This could not wait till morning. The craving came on so sudden and intense that resisting never even crossed her mind. For some reason Claudia needed fudge. Maybe it was hormones. Maybe it was the fact that she finally had an appetite. But she needed fudge. Not the kind she usually made this time of year, melting chocolate chips in the microwave. Claudia needed the heavy, silky fudge her grandma used to make—the kind you made in a saucepan with a candy thermometer. Did you need a double broiler? Claudia wasn’t sure any...

359 likes 134 comments 134
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For Ever, Sugar

Weekly Contest #71

The lanterns flickered their malevolent flames as Sugar beat the eggs into a foamy sea. The fire in the grate melted her aching muscles enough to continue working for the eleventh hour.Twenty-six years old and she was already exhausted, pink dress twirling between kitchen counters and cupboards. Her petticoats protected her modesty and the pencil holding her savory colored hair protected the food from contamination.She'd baked enough bread, on to the biscuits.'You work too hard...' Bailey chimed as he grabbed his jacket to leave. '...You'll ...

176 likes 206 comments 206
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Quarantine Competition (a Reedsy-Cast Short Story)

Weekly Contest #71

Note: Hey, all! Here’s my long-overdo Wrirate short story. That means this story features a Reedsy cast! A lot of my Wrirate friends have made this kind of thing (check out Zilla’s, B.W.’s, Amany’s, Rhonda’s, and Orenda’s!) so I decided to write one. Sadly, I can’t have as many main characters as there are close Wrirate friends, so there’s main characters, a secondary character (Bri, which is something B.W. has said I could call her [Hope is also a nickname, so there’s actually two props to my good friend B.W.]), and a bunch of mentions...

141 likes 166 comments 166
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For Once and For All

Weekly Contest #71

First story at Reedsy!Each year the Sorenson's held the most flamboyant cookie exchange in all of Durinsville This was partially due to the fact that they were the most well-known bakery in all of Pennsylvania.  Of course, there were certain people who were not invited each year, and they had a most horrid time, since Durinsville was a small town, and the Sorenson's inhabited the biggest house (or mansion as we shall say?) which of course could be seen from any point ...

112 likes 591 comments 591
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The Case of the Missing _____

Weekly Contest #71

There are chocolates scattered over the marble tile. Each one is a perfect sphere dusted with fine cocoa powder, but several lie cracked on the floor, revealing peaks of caramel or rum truffle in the middle. DI Orson Blair halts halfway through the kitchen so as not to tread on a stray piece of chocolate and stops to take in the scene. An engagement ring of white gold and diamond perches in a small black box, and the room was lit only by candles which have now burnt themselves out and are no more than puddles of wax. Under the unforgiving li...

93 likes 184 comments 184
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Cookiesplosion

. .

Weekly Contest #71

"Out of my way!! I'm from Guinness, out of my way!!" The cameras were crowding the bakers, swarming them as if they were sprinkles on a cupcake. They tried to get to the door, tried to sneak their way into the bakery, but the cameras were there too. Eventually, they started throwing cupcakes at the cameras. Through the power of pastry, they banished them to worlds unknown and slunk inside. "Jeez, all this over a cookie? You guys better prepare yourselves for the big day. I'd suggest bulletproof vests and beekeeper helmets. Of course, that...

81 likes 133 comments 133
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A Touch of Cinnamon (Part 1)

Weekly Contest #71

“And a cherry on each of the custard creams, as well as a sprig of mint on the lime tarts!” I nodded as my assistant, Sadira, ran around me with a clipboard full of notes for my desserts. I went to the pantry and pulled out the tub of cherries and mint, and walked around the dozens of trays that were displaying my creations for the ball tonight. The kingdom was hosting a ball to celebrate the coming of age of Princess Velora. At 24, I was the kingdom’s best and youngest baker, and I was invited to create all sorts of desserts for the ball. A...

78 likes 29 comments 29
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Fool’s Tears (A Touch of Cinnamon Part 2)

Weekly Contest #71

*Nainika’s note* It is OK to hate Morgan. (like more than ok to hate him) He's an arse. But I haven’t ever written a story from a…villain? I’m gonna call him a villain because he deserves it…but I’ve never written a short story from a nasty person’s perspective, so I hope it’s turned out good!! Also, I included A TON of background information about the setting, so this story is a teensy bit wordier than what I normally write! (Sorry about that. Head’s up, I think it’s about 2,900ish words:) Yes, there will be a part 3 - it’s inevit...

71 likes 59 comments 59
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A Moon Rose

Weekly Contest #71

A woman dressed in a black rain jacket wanted to scream at the clouds and the torrents of rain sending her curly hair into a wild frizz. But sending a tangled wail of thoughts into the angry sky would attract attention, so for this reason, she preferred to remain silent.  As the downpour continued, the woman pulled a hoodie over her head, trying to keep herself; and the package, safe. Two more blocks until she would reach the metro station and take off to the house before the rain soaked through her clothes completely. The woman w...

70 likes 23 comments 23
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A Good Day

Weekly Contest #71

The sacks of flour are passed from one man to the next, a few grains escaping from small openings.The women’s voices rise higher and higher, merging and combining, becoming a harmony sounding slightly unpleasant.Large quantities of sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and baking soda are passed in the same fashion and put in different piles.“Now,” said Mrs Marano, who was in charge of this, “We will be following a simple recipe to make the cookie, which must be noted and memorized by everyone.”Yeah, she’s a bit strict.But all ...

68 likes 27 comments 27
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To Catch A Killer

Weekly Contest #71

Begin Log 1: Well um, I don't really know why I'm doing this though here I am. But this is what he told me to do for a while, I think he said it was to remember the plan or something? I don't know, my memory is terrible. I don't even remember the plan, to be honest...I think that's why he decided to do all this so I check up on everything. I guess he knows that my memory is terrible as well, but that's beside the point. It's been about...um...I think two or so weeks since the whole thing had happened. He never explained exactly everyth...

67 likes 169 comments 169
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Sweet Sorrows

Weekly Contest #71

Two circular eyes, a round dot for a nose, a simple line for a mouth. The face forms in a foggy patch of my breath on the window. Last night the temperatures dropped drastically making the glass hazy and impossible to see through.The face stares expressionlessly back at me until a drop of rain on the outside surface slices right through it. Like a teardrop streaking down the imaginary person’s face. Even the sky is crying on this sorrowful day.With a plan formulating in my head, I snatch an umbrella from the basket near the door and pull on ...

61 likes 19 comments 19
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Need A Therapist?

Weekly Contest #71

It was almost unfair to know that he owned a bakery and that HIS customers lionized him. What was she supposed to do? Celebrate and pop a champagne? Or flip her hair on his face and walk down the street with her heels (as high as her ego) click-clacking against the gravel? With a cup of brewed latte in her hand, Winona stared out into the window of her Nemesis’s bakery. Ryū’s bakery looked... pretentious. Like him. He put far too much effort into achieving a dashing countenance. In his bakery, huge translucent chandeliers with lustrous ...

58 likes 633 comments 633
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A Cookie Rivalry

Weekly Contest #71

"Lilly," I heard a voice, "are you in there?" “Yes, I am,” I said, as my older sister, Winnie, walked into my room. “You know,” she said, “Philip and Richard shall be here by noon.” Philip and Richard were our cousins. Neither Winnie nor I had visited them often, which was a little unusual. This was going to be the first we were seeing of them, in a long time. I supposed it would be something of a change. * * * “Okay now, where next?” asked I, as Richard, Winnie, Philip, and I made our way through the shops of the summer carnival. “We’re don...

58 likes 30 comments 30
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Where is that Recipe?

Weekly Contest #71

When Grandma fell and broke her leg, my family rushed to help her. What did she need from her house now that she was living with her mother in a one-story home? Did she want us to take care of her heating and electric bills? Did she want Dad and Uncle Justin to move her laundry machine from the basement to the ground floor? The questions continued as such, with the adults wondering what they could do. However, my siblings and my cousins wanted to help, too.   So, when my younger brother asked Grandma, “What about your Christmas co...

56 likes 31 comments 31
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