Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swensen #9.5)(30)

Once back inside the tropical paradise, Hannah ignored Norman’s curious glance, and sat down next to Melinda.

They made polite conversation for a moment or two, and then Melinda took them on a tour of the most unusual and exotic flora that she had imported. Hannah admired brightly colored blooms that looked more artificial that real to her, smelled scents so heady they came close to making her sneeze, and pretended overwhelming interest in natural fertilizers and climate control. Then, mercifully, it was time to render their polite goodbyes, repeat their condolences, and leave.

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Joanne Fluke

“Well?” Norman asked when they had boarded the elevator and were safely on their way down to the store.

“Well, what?”

“Well, why were you gone so long? And what did you discover?”

“No Cory,” Hannah said, summing up her findings in two words.

“What?”

“I found Melinda’s family photo album. There were lots of pictures of Melinda and her parents, but not one single picture of Cory. Maybe Cory had a big fight with his parents and they took all his pictures out of the photo album. Or maybe Melinda did, and she removed them. Or … maybe there was something wrong with Cory that he didn’t get fixed until he left home.”

“Like what?”

“Like a birthmark he had removed. Or maybe Cory was really Melinda’s sister Corrine before she had the sex change.”

Hannah started to laugh, but she quickly sobered as she thought of another possibility. “Or … maybe Cory isn’t Melinda’s brother and that’s why he isn’t in the family album.”

“That’s interesting,” Norman commented. “Don’t you want to know what I found out while you were gone?”

“Absolutely.”

“I found out everything I really didn’t need to know about exotic plants, flowers, and berries.”

“Lucky you.” Hannah stepped off the elevator and spotted the decorator dried wreath department, right where Delores had said it would be. “Let’s go buy a peony wreath for your mother, and then go straight back to The Cookie Jar. I want to see if Lisa’s hit pay dirt with her invisible waitress trick.”

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DEVIL’S FOOD COOKIES

Do not preheat oven—this dough

needs to chill.

2 cups flour

13?4 cups white (granulated) sugar

1?2 cup cocoa powder ***

1?2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1?2 cup melted butter (1 stick, 1/4 pound) 1 beaten egg (just whip it up in a glass with a fork) 1?2 cup extra strong coffee (I brewed French Roast double strength)

1?2 cup white sugar in a small bowl (for later) *** A Word of Warning about COCOA

When cocoa is used in any of my recipes, make sure to use plain old American cocoa (I usually use Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa.) There are many designer cocoas on the market. They’re wonderful in their own right, but they won’t work in my recipes. Make sure you don’t buy cocoa mix, which has powdered milk and a sweetener added.

Stay away from Dutch process cocoa—it has alkaline added. Also beware of cocoas that are mixed with ground chocolate or other flavorings. They won’t work either.

Things were simpler in my grandmother’s day (and this Devil’s Food Cookie is one of her recipes.) If you’re in doubt, check the ingredients that are listed on the container of cocoa. It should say “cocoa” and nothing else.

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! % { # 9

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Once these dry ingredients are combined, add the melted butter and mix thoroughly.

Add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly.

Add the strong coffee and mix thoroughly.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour .

(Overnight is fine, too.)

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Roll the dough into one-inch diameter balls with your hands. This dough may be sticky, so roll only enough for the cookies you plan to bake immediately and then return the bowl to the refrigerator. Roll the dough balls in the bowl of white sugar and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 balls to a standard sheet. Flatten them slightly with the heel of your impeccably clean hand so they won’t roll off on their way to the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. (If you leave them on the cookie sheet for too long, they’ll stick.) Hannah’s Note: When Lisa wants to make these fancy for a cookie catering job, she drizzles them with fine hori— zontal lines of white powdered sugar icing. Then she mixes up chocolate powdered sugar icing and drizzles them with fine vertical lines. Here are the frostings she uses: ! % { # 9

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White Powdered Sugar Icing:

1 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar 1?2 teaspoon vanilla

1?4 teaspoon salt

2 to 4 Tablespoons light cream

Lisa’s 1st Note: There’s no need to sift the powdered sugar unless it has big lumps.

Line up your cookies, shoulder to shoulder, on a sheet of waxed paper.

Mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla and the salt.

Add the light cream gradually until the frosting is the consistency you want.