Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen, #13)(54)

SESAME SEED TEA COOKIES


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.





3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cupwhen you measure it)

? cup white (granulated) sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

? teaspoon salt

? cup butter, softened (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound)

2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

? cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

? cup whole milk in a bowl (not a misprint—you need ? cup total)

? cup sesame seeds

Grease your cookie sheets or spray them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. You can also use parchment paper, if you prefer.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix them up until they’re well blended.

Cut the butter into pieces and add them to the bowl. Blend them in with a pastry blender, or a fork, or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Hannah’s 1st Note: You can do the above in a food processor with the steel blade by putting in the flour, cutting COLD butter into 8 pieces and adding them, and then covering the butter with the sugar, baking powder, and salt. All you have to do is process with an on-and-off motion until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Then transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and complete the recipe by hand.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the beaten eggs, 1/4 cup milk, and the vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon until a soft dough forms.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. (Just eyeball it— this doesn’t have to be perfect.)

With your hands, roll each dough piece out into a long roll (resembling a snake) that’s approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. The rolls should be about 24 inches long.

Cut the rolls into 2-inch pieces with a sharp knife.

Put the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Dip each piece into the bowl of milk, and then roll it in the seeds. (The milk will make the seeds stick to the cookie dough.)

Place the sesame-covered pieces one inch apart on greased or Pammed cookie sheets. (Parchment paper or baking paper works well also.)

Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.

Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for one or two minutes, and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: Approximately 4 dozen, depending on cookie size.

Hannah’s 2nd Note:These cookies are light, crispy, and not too sweet. Mother loves them with strawberry ice cream, and Carrie likes them with sweetened herbal tea.





Chapter Eighteen


“So you knew him?” Norman asked, picking up his last French fry.

“He was an assistant professor when I was going for my masters,” Hannah said, hoping that would be enough of an explanation to satisfy Norman.

“That’s funny. He didn’t act as if he knew you on Christmas Eve.”

“It was pretty clear he didn’t remember me. And I wasn’t about to embarrass a guest by reminding him we’d known each other years ago.”

“Right.” Norman nodded. “What do you know about him?”

“I don’t know anything about his recent life, but there were rumors about him on campus. He had more than one girlfriend and it turned out that he was engaged at the time.”

“Then he’s got a wife or an ex-wife?”

“He’s got one ex-wife that Mike interviewed, and that’s not the same woman he married while I was on campus.”

“Two ex-wives then. How about now? Is he married again?”

Hannah shrugged. “I’m not sure. I don’t think we have to worry about the wives, though. Mike’s checking into those. He does seem to think it’s a crime of passion since the first stab wound was lethal and he was stabbed four more times.”

“Revenge?”

“That’s certainly possible. Revenge, jealousy, hatred … it could be any strong emotion, I guess.”

“He sounds like a guy that really played the field,” Norman said. “I wonder if any of that playing took place here in Lake Eden.”

“I’d be willing to bet it did. The only problem is identifying his playmates.”

“Delores?” Norman suggested. And at almost the same time Hannah said, “Mother?”

They looked at each other and laughed. “I’ll ask her,” Hannah promised. “It’s too bad your mother isn’t here. She’d enjoy helping.”

“I know. She loves to nose around for information. But what we really need is a spy on campus.”

“Michelle.” Both of them spoke at once again, and they even nodded in tandem.

“We did it again,” Hannah commented. “It’s like we’re twins or something. And that reminds me … You know the Connors twins, don’t you?”

“Sure. I whitened their teeth before their last big competition. I figured it was the least I could do for Lake Eden’s most famous couple.”

“Better not let Mayor Bascomb and Stephanie hear you say that!”

“You’re right. Now what about the twins?”

“They’re living on the campus now, and Sherri’s a secretary at the English department office. We could ask her if she’s heard the other secretaries talking about Bradford’s romances.”