Watermelon Slice Cookies

My week with the kids. Pumpkin patch Saturday with the kids. Worked four shifts this week at the plant. The line ran clean.

Pop's tireder. Sugar runs low some days. Mama monitors. Pop complains. The system holds. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.

Cornbread dressing for the holiday. Sausage, onion, celery, sage, broth. Made the night before. Reheated in the oven.

Aiden's 11. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 9. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.

I sat on the back porch with a beer and looked at the smoker and thought about nothing for an hour.

Truck needed an oil change Saturday. Did it myself in the driveway. Took an hour. The neighbor across the street gave me a thumbs-up from his porch. I gave him one back. Detroit men do not waste words on car maintenance.

The basketball court at the rec center got refurbished. New floor. Plays different. Bouncy. I shot a few from the elbow before practice Wednesday. The knee held. The shot fell short.

Stopped at Eastern Market Saturday. Got chicken thighs, bacon, a watermelon, and a pound of greens that I did not need but bought anyway. The vendors know me by name now. Three of them asked about the family.

I made grocery lists on the back of envelopes the way Mama did. The list this week was short — onions, garlic, half-and-half, cornmeal, a pound of bacon. The list is the recipe of the week before it happens.

Mama left me a voicemail Wednesday. She said, "DeShawn. Don't forget Sunday." I had not forgotten Sunday. I have not forgotten Sunday in twenty years. The reminder is the love. I called her back.

The grass came in fast this week. Cut it Saturday morning before the heat. The mower had been sitting all winter. Took three pulls to start. Once it ran, it ran. Some things just need patience.

The drive home Friday was the long way around. I took Outer Drive past the lake. The water was still. I do not always notice the water. I noticed Friday.

The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.

A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.

Watched the Tigers Sunday afternoon. Lost in extras. Detroit reflex. I yelled at the TV the way Pop used to yell at the TV. The TV did not respond. The bullpen will probably not respond either.

I cleaned the smoker Sunday morning. Brushed the grates. Emptied the ash. Wiped down the body. The smoker repays attention. So does most everything that matters.

Mr. Williams across the street had a heart scare. He is okay. We are all watching each other now. I took him a plate of greens and chicken Wednesday. He said, "DeShawn. You're a good neighbor." I said, "We're even, Mr. Williams. You shoveled my walk in 2024." He laughed.

I read for an hour Sunday night. A book about the auto industry. Half memoir, half history. Made me think about Pop and the line and the fragile contract that built the middle of this country. I underlined the parts that hit.

I took a walk around the block Sunday morning. The neighborhood was quiet. The trees were the trees. The light was good. I waved at three porches. The porches waved back. Brookline holds.

When I stopped at Eastern Market Saturday and grabbed that watermelon — the one I didn’t need but bought anyway — Zaria spotted it the second I walked through the door and started asking what we were going to make. That girl has opinions about the seasoning and she’ll have opinions about everything else too, so I figured we’d put her to work on something fun. These Watermelon Slice Cookies were the right call: simple enough to do together on a step stool, bright enough to make Aiden look up from his phone, and sweet enough to close out a week that asked a lot but gave back just as much.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 37 min (plus chilling) | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red gel food coloring
Green gel food coloring
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (for seeds)
2 tablespoons green-tinted sugar or green decorating sugar (optional, for rind detail)

Instructions

Make the dough. Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Gradually stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until a smooth dough forms.
Divide and color. Split the dough into three portions — roughly half for the red “flesh,” a smaller portion for the green “rind,” and a thin portion left plain for the white layer between. Tint the large portion red and the small portion green using gel food coloring, kneading gently until the color is even.
Shape the log. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the red dough into a rectangle. Scatter mini chocolate chips across it and press them in gently. Roll the red dough into a tight log. Flatten the plain dough into a thin sheet and wrap it around the log. Flatten the green dough into a thin sheet and wrap that around the outside, pressing the seam to seal. You should have a layered cylinder: green outside, white middle, red core.
Chill. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to slice cleanly.
Preheat and slice. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the log from the refrigerator and slice into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Each slice will look like a little watermelon wheel. Arrange on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the bottoms are barely golden. Do not overbake — these are meant to stay tender.
Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They firm up as they cool.

Nutrition (per serving)

Watermelon Slice Cookies — Something Sweet for the Kids After a Full Week