Sugar Cookie Murder (30 page)

Add the floru in 1-cup increments.

Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours. Overnight is fine, too.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Divide the dough into four parts for ease in rolling. Roll out the first part of the dough on a floured board. It should be approximately 1/8 inch thick.

Dip the cookie cutters in flour and cut out cookies, getting as many as you can from the sheet of dough. (If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can cut free-form cookies with a sharp knife.) Use a metal spatula to remove the cookies from the rest of the sheet of dough and place them on an UNGREASED cookie sheet. Leave at least 1 ½ inches between cookies.

If you want to use colored sugar or sprinkles to decorate, put them on now, before baking. If you’d rather frost the cookies, wait until they’re baked and cooled.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes, or until delicately golden in color. Leave them on the sheet for a minute or two and then transfer them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Icing

2 cups sifted powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

a pinch of salt

½ teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring)

¼ cup cream

Mix up icing, adding a little more cream if it’s too thick and little more powdered sugar if it’s too thin.

If you’d like to frost the cookies in different colors, divide the icing and put it in several small bowls. Add drops of the desired food coloring to each bowl.

Use a frosting knife or a brush to “paint” the cookies you’ve baked.

HEAVELY TEA COOKIES

Do Not preheat oven — this dough must chill before baking.

1 ½ cups butter

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring — I used lemon extract)

1 ½ cups dried mixed fruit, chopped (peaches, apples, pears, and apricots will do)

3 cups flour

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and mix it up. Let it cool for several minutes. When the mixture is warm to the touch, but not hot, add the beaten eggs, baking powder and vanilla.

Chop the dried mixed fruit. This is easy with a food processor and the steel blade. Just drop in the fruit and sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour on top. Pulse until the fruit is finely chopped, adding a bit more flour if it starts to “gum” up.

Add the fruit to your mixing bowl and stir it in. then add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition.

Place the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up. Then divide it into 4 parts. Using waxed paper, roll each part into a log approximately 2 inches in diameter. (If the dough is too sticky, return it to the refrigerator and let it chill for another 10 minutes.) Wrap the logs in fresh sheets of waxed paper, stick them in plastic bag, and store them in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (Overnight is fine, too — Heavenly Tea Cookie dough will keep up to a week in your refrigerator.)

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Take out a roll of dough, (just one — it’s easier to work with when it’s chilled) unwrap it, and roll it on the counter again if the bottom has flattened in the refrigerator. Cut ¼ inch slices with a sharp knife and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Return the unused dough to the refrigerator. Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until nicely browned.

Cool 1-2 minutes on the sheet and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: These cookies are not very sweet — if you prefer a sweeter cookie, dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving.

LISA’S PIECES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 cup regular semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butter

¼ cup strong coffee

1 cup pitted dates, chopped (you can buy chopped dates, or sprinkle whole pitted dates with a bit of flour and then chop them in a food processor.)

1 ½ cups white (granulated) sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (measure after you chop them)

1 cup milk chocolate chips

3 ½ cups flour (no need to sift)

Put the semi-sweet chocolate chips, butter and coffee in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until they’re melted. (Approximately 2 minutes on HIGH.) The chips may maintain their shapes, so stir until they’re smooth. Add the chopped dates, mix them in, and set the bowl aside.

Measure the sugar into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the beaten eggs. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Add the melted chocolate mixture to your bowl, and then mix in the chopped nuts and the milk chocolate chips. Add the flour in ½-cup increments, mixing after each addition.

Let the dough sit for 10 minutes or so, then drop dough by teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard sheet. Flatten the dough balls slightly on the sheet with the heel of your impeccably clean hand. (If the dough is too sticky, chill it for a few minutes.)

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Yield: Approximately 8 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.

BLUEBERRY SHORTBREAD BAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

This is Betty Jackson’s recipe. She says to tell you they’re the best bar cookie to eat if you’re on a diet, because they have only ¾ cup of powdered sugar. (that’s true, but she’s forgetting about all the sugar in the can of pie filling.)

3 cups flour (no need to sift)

1 ½ cups butter, softened

¾ cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar (don’t sift unless it’s got big lumps)

1 can (21 ounces) blueberry pie filling (or any other fruit except lemon)

First Step: Combine butter with powdered sugar and add flour. Mix well.

(You can also do this in a food processor using cold butter cut into chunks, and the steel blade.)

Spread half of this mixture (approximately 3 ½ cups) into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN!

Let the crust cool for 5 minutes.

Second Step: Spread the pie filling over the top of the crust you just baked. Sprinkle it with the other half of the crust mixture you reserved and gently pressed it down with a metal spatula.

Bake the cookie bars for another 30-35 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden. Remove the pan to a wire rack.

Cool thoroughly and then cut into brownie-sized bars. If you like, sprinkle the bars with a little extra powdered sugar.

HANNAH’S “HOT” BROWNIES

Preheat the oven to whatever it says on the package of brownie mix.

I really have to apologize for this recipe. I don’t usually use packaged mixes, but the thought of putting hot peppers into my very best brownies made me queasy. At the time, I figured this was good enough to be on the front lines of the brownie wars. I wouldn’t have put this in the cookbook, but Mike and Bill, along with seven other deputies, begged me to do it.

1 package brownie mix (any old kind will do)

4 ounces canned diced jalapeño peppers

Prepare the pan and the brownie batter according to the package directions.

Drain the liquid from the can of jalapeño peppers. (This could have a side benefit of clearing out your drain.)

Dump the peppers into the brownie batter and stir them around.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake according to the package directions.

Mike likes these with milk. Bill would rather cut a big square and top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Lonnie likes his with plain coffee (and that makes me think that he might be the right guy for Michelle).

RHUBARD BAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

A note from Hannah: This recipe, or a very close variant, was contributed by over a dozen Lake Eden women. They also contributed recipes fro rhubarb pie, rhubarb bread, rhubarb cookies, rhubarb jam, rhubarb tarts, rhubarb cakes, and rhubarb sauce. We decided, in a emergency session of the cookbook committee, to include only one rhubarb recipe, since the cookbook will be distributed nationally and, believe it or not, there are some areas of the country where the rhubarb doesn’t grow! Since so many Lake Eden ladies like this recipe, we chose it.

1 cup flour (no need to sift)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

2 cups rhubarb, peeled, finely diced

1 package (3 ounces) strawberry Jell-O (regular, not sugar-free)

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

½ cup flour (no need to sift)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup butter, softened

Mix the flour with the baking powder and the salt in a small bowl. Cut in the softened butter (mix in small amounts with a fork) until the mixture is crumbly. Whip up the eggs in a glass with the milk. Add the mixture to your work bowl and stir until it’s thoroughly incorporated. (You can also do this in the food processor with chilled butter cut in pieces and the steel blade.)

Coat a 9 x 9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Spread the mixture out in the bottom of the pan and press it down slightly with a spatula (or your hands.)

Sprinkle the diced rhubarb over the top and sprinkle the Jell-O powder over that.

Put the cup of sugar, half-cup of flour, and cinnamon in your work bowl. Mix together and cut in ¼ cup softened butter (mix in small amounts with a fork) until the resulting mixture is crumbly. (You can also do this in the food processor with chilled butter cut in pieces and the steel blade.)

Scatter the crumb mixture over the top of the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb has cooked through and the topping is nice and brown.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack. When the cookie bars are thoroughly cool, cut them into brownie-sized pieces.

These can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled.

CANDIED PECANS FROM LOIS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Sally Laughlin’s mother, Francine, got this recipe from her friend Lois Melin.

2 pounds pecan halves.

2 egg whites

dash of salt

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

½ cup butter, melted

Coat two 9 x 13 inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Divide pecans and put half in one pan, half in the other. Toast them at 325 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and set aside.

Beat the two egg whites with the dash of salt until stiff but not dry. Fold in the sugar and then the toasted pecan halves.

Pour half of the melted butter in one pan and half in the other. Divide the nut mixture and put half in each pan. Fold the mixture into the melted butter with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Bake at 325 degrees F., uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes.

Remove pans from the oven and spread the contents out on wax paper. Let cool slightly, and then separate. Cool completely.

Sally puts these in little tins and gives them as Christmas presents. They’re so good, you won’t be able to resist them.

CHOCOLATE FRUIT PLATTER

This recipe is from Bonnie Surma, who says this is about as fancy (and easy) as she ever gets when it comes to desserts.

2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Dried fruit (apricots, peaches, dates, figs, and pears work best)

Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler and stir them until smooth.

Spread the fruit out on cookie sheets lined with wax paper.

Dip the fruit into the chocolate, coating half of the piece. Once dipped, place the fruit on the waxed paper. (Pears look best if you dip the bottom half.)

Once all the fruit is dipped, refrigerate the cookie sheets until 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve. (The chocolate is tastier if it’s not too cold.) When it’s time to serve, arrange the fruit on a platter and serve with strong coffee for an elegant dessert.

Bonnie says to tell you that you can dip fresh strawberries in chocolate by this method. If you buy strawberries with the stems on, you can dip the whole berry. Otherwise, just pierce the top half of the berry with a toothpick and dip the bottom half.

Mother reports that Bonnie made a lovely platter for the Lake Eden Regency Romance Readers group last summer. It had strawberries dipped in milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and white chocolate.

ENGLISH EGGNOG

This recipe was contributed by Winthrop Harrington II. Even though Winthrop isn’t from Lake Eden, Mother is, so it’s in.

1 dozen eggs

¼ cup white (granulated) sugar

1 quart whole milk

1 pint half-and-halt (light cream)

1 pint whipping cream

2 cups brandy (or rum, or whiskey of your choice)*

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Set aside.

Beat the whipping cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold it into the egg whites. Set the mixture aside.

Beat the egg yolks until light-colored and fluffy. Mix in the sugar, milk, half-and-half, and 1 cup of brandy. Fold into the cream and egg white mixture.

At this point, the eggnog can be refrigerated in a tightly covered pitcher for up to 12 hours.

To serve, stir brandy into the pitcher, and the pour the eggnog into glass cups, if you have them. Dust the tops with freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon.

This is English eggnog, and it’s not as sweet as American eggnog. Taste it after you’ve made it. If your family would like it sweeter, add more sugar to taste.

*To make the nonalcoholic version, add 2 additional cups of milk and 2 teaspoons of rum extract or vanilla extract.