Christmas cookies. Kensi, Nell and Melissa make cookies. Should be fun as Kensi can't cook! December 6th. Kensi's point of view.

It's Saturday and I head over to Melissa's. I've called Melissa and she told me she was at home. I could hear Nell in the background. She was on about recipes or something? Now I think about it, Melissa did mention she would be baking today. Sam said Tegan has to bake some cookies or something for a school fete and Melissa offered to give her some recipes to try. I'm guessing Nell is just visiting. I knock on the door as I arrive at Melissa's house.

'It's open!' Melissa casually calls and I open the door and walk in. There's pieces of paper everywhere with written notes and I notice Nell sat in Melissa's reading chair her head stuck in a cookery book. There's Christmas songs playing in the background. Melissa is in the kitchen with bags of flour and sugar, pots of salt and baking powder and a carton of eggs on the counter with more hand written notes. I immediately go over and inspect what she's doing. I'm intrigued. There's something cooking already. I can smell gingerbread. It fills the room.

'Afternoon. Are you baking?'

'Yeah sugar cookies.'

'Mmm…yum cookies.'

'You're baking cookies?' Nell looks up from the book.

'That's the plan. You guys fancy giving me a hand in return for a share of the cookies?'

'I'm in.' Nell jumps up and joins us in the kitchen.

'Better not I'll burn them.' I answer taking a step back.

'Come on Kens it'll be fun!' Nell tries.

'You won't burn them. Promise.' Melissa adds with a smile. I motion for her to give me the recipe. I look and notice the ingredients are all out. Melissa immediately sets out what she needs, measuring out a cup of flour adding it to the mixing bowl before measuring out a second. She then adds half a teaspoon of baking powder and a quarter of a teaspoon of salt carefully. She whisks it all together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. She adds the stick of butter and then beats together butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.

'Is that salted butter?' Nell asks.

'No it's unsalted and the mixer is on medium.' Melissa answers loudly to be heard over the noise. 'Kens, what's next?'

'Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until combined. Shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm but still pliable, at least 30 minutes.' I instruct reading the neat handwriting on the sheet before me. Melissa does as instructed adding the large egg and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.

'Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Isn't it? It's on 350 now.' She asks as she shapes the dough.

'Yeah.'

'Nell can you go do that for us? Could you take the gingerbread out too that should be done' Melissa asks with a smile as I continue to read. 'Transfer half of dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment; roll to just under a quarter inch thick. Transfer dough on parchment to a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 30 minutes. Repeat with other half of dough.'

I look to the counter and spot 2 baking sheets ready for use on the counter with cookie cutters of all shapes next to them as Nell re-joins us. Melissa wipes a strand of hair from her eyes getting flour on her face in the process.

'Line 2 baking sheets with parchment which you've already done. Using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies and space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.' Melissa nods as she offers us both cookie cutters. We all smile as we cut out the shapes. Nell is doing Christmas trees while I cut out stars and Melissa is doing snowflakes. We all place them on the parchment lined sheets. Melissa puts them in the fridge when we're finished and sets a timer and then we all sit down in the living room and start to chat away. This baking thing isn't as bad as it seems.

There's a knock at the door 5 minutes in and Melissa rushes to the door. She motions whoever it is inside. Callen, Sam and Deeks all saunter in. Deeks eyes light up as he notices the mess in the kitchen and the cooling gingerbread men that Nell has put on a cooling rack.

'Who's baking?' He asks casually.

'We are.' Melissa answers. 'Me, Kens and Nell.'

'You're trusting Kensi in your kitchen?'

'Yes, she happens to be a fab reader of the recipes Deeks.'

'How's that going for you?' Sam asks me.

'Not too bad mind you me and Nell are baking with a pro by the looks of it.'

'I'm no pro just trying out a recipe for Tegan to try for her school fete.'

'I can tell you are, you've got flour on your face.' Callen answers her pointing to the flour on her face and she bats his hand away before wiping her face.

The timer goes off 8 minutes later and we all sit up as Melissa goes into the kitchen. She smiles as she pulls the sheet out of the fridge, tests them and then places them into the oven which Nell preheated.

'Are you putting them in the oven?' Nell calls.

'Yeah.' She comes back and lets them bake which takes 12 to 15 minutes by my count. I'm right behind her and so is Nell when she pulls them out from the oven. I'm left astonished by how good they look all golden on the edges but not burnt, when she pulls them out of the oven. Deeks also comes to take a look leaving Callen and Sam alone in the living room.

'We'll move them to the racks to allow them to cool completely on the sheets.'

'Aww can't we eat them now?' Deeks jokes moving to grab one.

'No!' Melissa tells him batting his hand away before grabbing his shoulders and ushering him out of her kitchen. I laugh. Melissa is like a parent with an overgrown child. 'Get out of here!'

'They look amazing.' I comment surprised.

'Told you they wouldn't burn. Nell why don't you call Eric over, the rest of the team are here and there's plenty of cookies to share around?'

'Why not?' Nell nods with a smile as she dives to grab her phone and then towards Melissa's bedroom to call him.

'Are we going to ice these?' I ask.

'We could do. You fancy it?' Melissa responds with a smile before calling to the guys. 'Hey you guys for one day only ice your own Christmas cookie?'

'Awesome!' Deeks enthuses.

'Eric is on his way. Are we really icing them?'

'Yeah.'

Eric arrives a few minutes later his hair wet. No doubt he has been surfing today. He smiles as he notices the now cooled cookies.

'They're cool enough to ice now guys.' Melissa calls us all over and grabs out the icing supplies. Deeks and Eric are straight over. Callen and Sam just look at each other. She quickly makes up some white icing and places it in a bowl before making some red. Callen and Sam join us as Deeks, Eric, Melissa and Nell start icing their cookies. Deeks has a star, Eric and Nell a Christmas tree and Melissa a snowflake. She carefully draws an outline around her cookie and I'm impressed by how steady her hand is. Deeks is just having fun. Callen grabs a snowflake too and tries to mimic Melissa's movement and Sam takes a star. Melissa dives back in her cupboard and grabs some silver edible balls out and places some of them on her cookie. Within minutes Melissa is putting the iced cookies in the fridge, somehow managing to stop Deeks eating his before the icing has set. Melissa checks on them after 3-5 minutes and then brings them over and places them on the table in front of us before going back into the kitchen and grabbing cups and some milk. She sits down next to Callen after pouring herself some milk and starts her cookies.

'These taste great.' Sam comments.

'Are you sure Kensi made them?' Deeks feels the urge to joke.

'Deeks just eat up…' Melissa comes to my rescue.