Explosive Energy: KidLitConfections "A Pop of Summer" Cookies

Last year, I stumbled across a post on TikTok from the official Macmillan Children's Books account, with a teaser about an upcoming book that I immediately knew I had to have. I tracked down the author, discovered we live in the same metropolitan area, and promptly bought a copy of his book (that I convinced him to sign for me). And then I came back and bought several more copies, to give to everyone I know for Christmas. And I wasn't wrong about how much I was going to love this book. I haven't stopped raving about it since! 

I was such a fan of KWAME CRASHES THE UNDERWORLD I wasn't sure if anything could top it. But a couple of weeks ago... 

Craig Kofi Farmer's newest middle grade novel, A METHOD FOR MAGIC AND MISFORTUNE released, and I may actually love this one even more than his first book! I was extremely privileged to receive an advance copy, so I got to read it before the official publication date (9 September 2025), and I've been telling everyone I know to add it to their TBR ("to be read" list) for months! I even had an idea for the perfect cookie to pair with the book for a KidLit Confections post!! 

But when I sat down to write this post, I couldn’t find the recipe I had hastily scribbled down when I was creating the cookies. Because (fun fact) I don’t have a great system for writing down my recipes as I make them. Usually, the list of ingredients gets scrawled onto whatever notebook, piece of scratch paper, or back-of-a-receipt I happen to have lying around. And I always intend to type it up as soon as I am done baking, but that almost never happens. So sometimes I lose whole recipes and can’t ever quite recreate the magic.

Luckily, this time around, after more than two weeks of frantic searching through every notebook and pile of paper in my whole house, I found my recipe for the slightly-explosive “Pop of Summer” Cookies that I wanted to share with y’all! I will explain why this recipe is so perfect for this story, but first…

The Book:

A METHOD FOR MAGIC AND MISFORTUNE by Craig Kofi Farmer

Description from the Publisher:

A boy discovers magic — along with a hidden darkness — in his town in this propulsive and heartfelt middle grade novel perfect for fans of PET and THE LOST LIBRARY.

Twelve-year-old Marcus Pennrider feels far from magical. He's trying his best to balance school, a part-time job, and looking after his little sister. On top of that, his aunt has moved in with them to be their new caretaker.

But one day, Marcus discovers a secret magic flows through the streets of Grand Park — magic that can make money out of thin air, or control the weather — and everything seems to start changing for the better. Marcus even catches the attention of Mr. O, local corner store owner and beloved leader in the community, who takes Marcus under his wing and teaches him how to use magic.

As Marcus delves into the strange world of Divination, he becomes entrenched in a rigorous magical training program...and discovers that Mr. O may not be who he seems. It'll be up to Marcus to decide who his true family is, and that perhaps the real magic of Grand Park lies much closer to home.

My Thoughts:

Magic is all around us. I don't know if you believe in the hocus-pocus, supernatural, unexplained, fantastical sparkly kind of magic (I still do...), but I think we can all agree that there are certain things and places we experience that just feel *magical* in ways we can't always explain. I love this book on so many levels, and I especially love that, in a book with such obvious threads of Real Magic, there is also a continuous plot thread that emphasizes the magic of hope and community we can experience every day, if we look for it.

I think that's the thing I love most about Craig Kofi Farmer's books. The story doesn't gloss over the difficult, hard, sad, and scary things in life, but even amidst all of the darkness, there is a glowing spark of hope that runs through it all and brightens everything. I especially love the way this story highlights the strongest gift we each possess: our ability to choose for ourselves. That choice, that innate human gift that can't be taken away from us unless we allow it to be, is the reason we're all here. It's what makes us human. It's what drives our compassion and connection. It's the one precious treasure that makes everything worthwhile. And the way this story brought this power of individual choice to light was so powerful! I got chills and warm fuzzies all at once, and I immediately wanted to start reading the book all over again as soon as I finished. (In fact, I bought the audiobook version--which is narrated beautifully--just so that I could do exactly that--and have someone read it to me while I'm doing my chores!)

The Recipe:

This cookie was originally created for one of the missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who wrote me a letter about one of the mini miracles she had seen. (I love bribing missionaries--and anyone, really--to tell me about the good things they're seeing and experiencing in the world. Because there's so much darkness all around us, and my brain tumor causes negative energy to translate into real, physical pain, so I'm always looking for ways to surround myself with light. These letters are one of the best ways I've found to search out the goodness in the world around me.--And this book was such a perfect tie-in to my quest to find the light spots in a sometimes-too-dark world that it felt like it really needed to be paired with one of my "missionary cookies.") 

Missionaries often try to stump me with difficult cookie requests--unexpected ingredients or special non-cookie foods that they want to see interpreted into a desssert. But Sister Haycock gave me the most difficult challenge I'd seen up to that point. She asked me to make a cookie based on her personality! This was before I was regularly attempting to translate the books I read into fabulous desserts. Now, I'm a bit more practiced with translating a person or concept into a signature dessert, but it's still not a task I take lightly--I have to know a person really well before I'll commit to capturing their essence in cookie form! But it was a fun challenge, and one I was excited to tackle. She had a sweet, warm personality, just bursting with energy... so a summery sugar cookie with the unexpected pop of an explosive candy topping was the perfect way to celebrate her personality as a cookie. 

This "Pop of Summer" cookie was the first one I thought of when I read A METHOD OF MAGIC AND MISFORTUNE for obvious (and some not-so-obvious) reasons. 

The Obvious: The first symbol Marcus successfully wields is one that causes a bright explosion of energy. In Marcus' case, this newfound magic causes quite a bit of chaos and destruction before he can figure out how to harness and use it properly. And of course, we wouldn't want a cookie that explodes all over your living room. But the subtle pop created by these little exploding candies is the perfect way to celebrate the spark of magical potential we might find if we, like Marcus in this book, look closely enough at the world around us.  

The Not-So-Obvious: In A METHOD OF MAGIC AND MISFORTUNE, Marcus has to navigate multiple layers of experiences to try to make sense of his world, so a cookie with layers of complementary and contrasting flavors felt fitting.

More Not-So-Obvious: [Redacted] 

Sorry! I'm not going to give any spoilers here. But I had a few reasons from little details in the story that made these cookies feel perfect to pair with this book. When you read it for yourself, maybe you'll find some of those reasons for yourself. Feel free to email me (you can contact me through the contact page on my website) to let me know your thoughts. If you comment below, make sure to tag your spoilers so you don't ruin surprises for other readers.
 

“Pop of Summer” Cookies

 Lime Sugar Cookies:

2 cups butter

1 cup sugar

1 (3 oz.) box lime gelatin

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

¼ cup warm water

4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour

 

Strawberry Frosting:

1 (3 oz.) box strawberry gelatin

½ cup boiling water

¾ cup cold butter, cubed

Pop Rocks Candy

 

Cream together butter, sugar, and lime gelatin, mixing at high speed for 2-3 minutes.

Mix in soda and salt. On low speed, drizzle in warm water until fully combined. Slowly increase speed to high, and beat 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, just to combine.

Scoop balls of dough and place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press each slightly to flatten to approximately ¼-inch thick. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-9 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are slightly browned. Cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Stir strawberry gelatin into boiling water and stir to dissolve completely. Transfer to a chilled mixing bowl and start mixing on low speed.

Carefully add cubed butter, 1-2 cubes at a time, and continue to mix on low speed until combined. Gradually increase speed and beat until light and fluffy.

Assemble cookies just before serving by spreading with a generous layer of frosting and sprinkling with Pop Rocks candies. (If you assemble too far in advance, the moisture of the frosting will cause the candy to pop prematurely.)

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

*Optional: Bake a few cookies & freeze the extra cookie dough. Scoop & flatten dough balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet (no space necessary) and freeze for 2-4 hours. Transfer cookie dough to a large freezer bag and return to your freezer. You can bake straight from frozen at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes. Freshly-baked cookies anytime you want!

This recipe, inspired by Sister Haycock (Baltimore, MD mission), pairs well with A METHOD FOR MAGIC AND MISFORTUNE by Craig Kofi Farmer.

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