title: Recipe Compile Error: undefined method `[]' for nil:NilClass
body: <p>New to posting here... and to using Chef... but I'm making a simple node slave cookbook and continue to get this error on every cookbook I make. I've searched and searched for help, but can't seem to find any insight on this issue anywhere... any help or advice is truly appreciated!</p>
  
  <p>`Installing Cookbook Gems:
         Compiling Cookbooks...</p>
  
  <pre><code>   ================================================================================
     Recipe Compile Error in /tmp/kitchen/cache/cookbooks/jenkins/attributes/default.rb
     ================================================================================
  
     NoMethodError
     -------------
     undefined method `[]' for nil:NilClass
  
     Cookbook Trace:
     ---------------
       /tmp/kitchen/cache/cookbooks/jenkins/attributes/default.rb:6:in `from_file'
  
     Relevant File Content:
     ----------------------
     /tmp/kitchen/cache/cookbooks/jenkins/attributes/default.rb:
  
       1:  default['jenkins']['user'] = 'jenkins'
       2:  default['jenkins']['group'] = 'jenkins'
       3:  default['jenkins']['home'] = '/home/jenkins'
       4:  default['jenkins']['work_dir'] = '/opt/jenkins'
       5:  
       6&gt;&gt; if node['tomcat']['base_version'] &gt; 6
       7:    default['jenkins']['tomcat_service'] = 'tomcat'
       8:    default['jenkins']['install_dir'] = '/usr/share/tomcat/webapps'
       9:  else
      10:    default['jenkins']['tomcat_service'] = "tomcat#{node['tomcat']['base_version']}"
      11:    default['jenkins']['install_dir'] = "/usr/share/tomcat#{node['tomcat']['base_version']}/webapps"
      12:  end
      13:  default['jenkins']['build_dependencies'] = []
      14:  default['jenkins']['versioned_packages'] = []
      15:  # Example:
  
     Platform:
     ---------
     x86_64-linux
  
  
     Running handlers:
     [2016-10-14T22:58:04+00:00] ERROR: Running exception handlers
     Running handlers complete
     [2016-10-14T22:58:04+00:00] ERROR: Exception handlers complete
     Chef Client failed. 0 resources updated in 22 seconds
     [2016-10-14T22:58:04+00:00] FATAL: Stacktrace dumped to /tmp/kitchen/cache/chef-stacktrace.out
     [2016-10-14T22:58:04+00:00] FATAL: Please provide the contents of the stacktrace.out file if you file a bug report
     [2016-10-14T22:58:04+00:00] ERROR: undefined method `[]' for nil:NilClass
     [2016-10-14T22:58:05+00:00] FATAL: Chef::Exceptions::ChildConvergeError: Chef run process exited unsuccessfully (exit code 1)`
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I am required by my work to run this version of Chef:</p>
  
  <p><code>Chef Development Kit Version: 0.15.16
  chef-client version: 12.11.18
  delivery version: master (444effdf9c81908795e88157f01cd667a6c43b5f)
  berks version: 4.3.5
  kitchen version: 1.10.0</code></p>