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There are many reasons to move to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee. One reason is because the whole town smells like waffle cones, courtesy of Dr. Zook’s Ice Cream Company. Who doesn’t love the warm, vanilla scents of baking waffle cones?
Felicity Pickle and her family arrive in Midnight Gulch in their van, the Pickled Jalapeño. They’re each looking for something; Felicity wants a home more than anything. She also wants a friend, but that’s not easy when you see words everywhere the same way others see fireflies.
Felicity’s mama is a wanderer at heart, and she needs a home too. But for now, she works at the ice cream company. However, Dr. Zook’s doesn’t create ordinary ice cream. The company makes fanciful flavors, such as Orangie’s Caramel Apple Pie, Virgil’s Get-Outta-My-Face Fudge Ripple, and Marsh-Mallory’s Mocha Delight.
Not only are Dr. Zook’s flavors unique, but they also have a snicker of magic. One flavor can soothe your worries, while another flavor helps you believe in yourself again. But there is a very special flavor—Blackberry Sunrise—that invokes memories, and Felicity Pickle isn’t sure she wants her memories summoned.
No one can control what memories Blackberry Sunrise will cause to bring to the surface of one’s mind. The memories can be bitter or sweet. Felicity has a few memories tucked away so deeply that her heart can’t bear to remember them. What if she tries a scoop of Blackberry Sunrise and her memories burst forth like a tidal wave? If you ate a spoonful of Blackberry Sunrise, what memory would you hope to remember?
“‘People buy it by the gallon because it helps them remember. The problem is that you don’t know what kind of memory this ice cream’s going to dredge up. We make every carton out of the blackberries that grow wild down by Snapdragon Pond. If you take a bite and the blackberries taste sweet, you remember something good. But if you take a bite and the blackberries are sour, well…that means you’re about to have a sad memory. Remembering is still important, though, no matter if it’s good or bad.’” (Lloyd, Natalie. A Snicker of Magic. Scholastic Press: New York, 2014, 83-84.)
Blackberry Sunrise Scones
Serving Size: 10 scones
Level of Difficulty: As easy as picking blackberries
Ingredients 2 ½ c of almond meal/flour
½ tsp sea salt 2 organic/pastured eggs 4 tbsp honey or other natural sweetener ⅓ c melted butter ½ c fresh or frozen berries
How to Make
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until combined. Add melted butter and honey.
Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Gently fold in berries.
Shape dough into a round circle, approximately ½" thick. Place dough on parchment paper and gently cut the circle into ten even-size triangles.
Bake 25-30 minutes (times may vary based on desired consistency). Allow five minutes to cool. Eat with Blackberry Sunrise Frozen Yogurt.
Blackberry Sunrise Frozen Yogurt
Serving Size: 1
Level of Difficulty: As easy as finding a spoon
Ingredients
1 7oz package of full fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp honey
¼ tsp pure vanilla
¼ c fresh blackberries
How to Make
Stir together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until well chilled.
Freeze in an ice cream maker or put into the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Eat.
Remember.