It was "the most wonderful time of the year." Every Christmas Eve, Lillie and her mom would make brownies, peppermint bark brittle, and chocolate mousse pie. This year was different; Lillie was making her brownies all by herself!

The kitchen was cluttered with bowls and utensils. It looked like a tornado had come into the room. The counters were messy from the peppermint bark brittle batter. The sink overflowed as dishes piled up like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The last item to make was the delicious Double Chocolate Ghirardelli brownies.

Lillie turned on the radio in the living room, although the sound was filled with static, she could still hear the carols playing from the kitchen. She tore a paper towel from the roll and scrubbed the counter clean until it shined.

Taking a white, glass, medium sized mixing bowl from the wooden cabinet, Lillie set it onto the counter. She cut the brownie mix out of its package and dumped the soft powder into the bowl. When she finished, she took out the ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator. The brownie box showed images to the recipe. After the water and vegetable oil were in the batter, Lillie selected two eggs from the cardboard carton. Cracking the eggs against the bowl, the yolk slithered out of their shells. Lillie was mid-way into the chorus of "Jingle Bells" when she gasped in alarm. She accidently added an extra egg into the batter! When she noticed her blunder, the ingredients seemed to engulf the yolks! With every attempt to extract the egg, it sank farther down into the mix. With every passing minute, Lillie felt more panicked, more stressed, and more upset. The sound of the radio, television, and the fan clouded her head from thinking clearly. Finally, she gave up. Bowing her head in shame, Lillie dragged her feet to the family room where her mother was watching her favorite show. After working up the courage, she told her what happened.

It's okay, we can always make cupcakes," Lillie's mom said.

Lillie felt the tears diminish as a small smile crept onto her face.

Lillie's mom took out green and red cupcake liners and the spatula. One by one, she slid paper into the cupcake slots. She scooped the batter into the wrappers.

~

Fifteen minutes passed, and the oven beeped. The cupcakes were finished.

Lillie's mom opened the door, immediately, steam rushed to her face. Turning away from the warm wind, she slid her red oven mitts onto her hands. Slowly, she removed the pan from the rack. The smell of delicious chocolate filled the air.

Lillie retrieved the tube of crushed candy canes - from the peppermint bark - and sprinkled them onto the brownies which made a lavish final touch. The end result looked like it could be a winning cupcake from "Cupcake wars."

"Let's eat!" Lillie and her mom picked up a cupcake and took a bite. "These are fantastic!" Lillie's mom remarked.

"Mmhm! I'm glad I made that brownie batter blunder!" Lillie giggled.