Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(27)

“Frozen Sugared Grapes.”

“I didn’t know you could freeze grapes!”

“Neither did I until an old friend of mine from college sent me this recipe. She included it in the Christmas card she sent to me.”

“And you’re going to try them out on your customers at The Cookie Jar?”

“Not exactly. Mother’s having Stephanie Bascomb over this afternoon and I promised to bring something interesting to have with their coffee.”

“Coffee for Stephanie Bascomb?” Florence began to grin. “Whatever it is, your recipe had better have champagne in it. Stephanie’s crazy about champagne. I should know. I order it by the case for her.”

“I know and this recipe does call for champagne. It also has vodka.”

“That sounds interesting. And it’s certainly something that Stephanie would like. She definitely has a sweet tooth, especially when she’s enjoying the cocktail hour. Every time I get in a shipment of imported chocolates, I call Stephanie so that she can buy what she wants before I put it on the shelf. Will you bring me a couple of those frozen grapes on your way to your mother’s place? They sound interesting and I want to try them.”

“Of course I will. It sounds like they pack a wallop, though. You might be better off if you stick them in the freezer and wait until you get home to try them.”

“Really?” Florence looked interested. “How do you make them, Hannah?”

“You marinate the grapes in champagne and vodka for an hour. Then you take them out and roll them in white sugar. You put them on a baking sheet, freeze them for several hours until they’re hard, slip them in a freezer bag to save on freezer space, and get them out right before you serve them so that they’re still frozen when people eat them.”

Florence began to smile. “They’d be great for a New Year’s Eve party. You wouldn’t have to serve as much liquor. You’d save a ton of money and people could just eat the grapes and celebrate.”





CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES

DO NOT preheat oven yet. This dough must chill before baking.



1 and ? cups salted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ? pound)

2 cups cocoa powder (unsweetened – I used Hershey’s)

2 cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon mint extract 3 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

3 cups flour (not sifted – pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

1 cup mini chocolate chips (? of an 11 or 12-ounce bag)



? cup white granulated sugar in a small bowl (for later)

1 large bag Mini York Peppermint Patties (for later)





Hannah’s 1st Note: This recipe is easiest if you use an electric mixer, but it can also be mixed by hand.



Place the 3 sticks of salted butter in a microwave-safe container. (I used a quart Pyrex measuring cup with a spout.)



Heat the butter on HIGH for 1 minute. Let it sit in the microwave for an additional minute and stir it with a heat-resistant spatula to see if it has melted. If it hasn’t, heat it on HIGH for another 20 seconds, let it sit for 20 seconds, and stir it again. Repeat in 20-second intervals until your butter is melted.



Pour the melted butter in the bottom of a mixing bowl.



Add the cocoa powder and mix it in.



Mix in the 2 cups of brown sugar. Make sure the brown sugar is completly incorporated.



Hannah’s 2nd Note: If your brown sugar has hard lumps in it, remove the lumps, then add more brown sugar until you have a full 2 cups.



Add the baking soda and salt to your mixing bowl. Mix until they are completely combined.



Add the vanilla extract and the mint extract. Mix them in thoroughly.



Feel the sides of the mixing bowl. If the contents are so hot that it might cook the eggs if you add them now, let everything cool to slightly above room temperature.



If you haven’t yet beaten the eggs, put them in a glass and whip them up until they are completely blended. (I still use a fork from my silverware bowl to do this the way my great-grandmother Elsa used to do.)



Add the beaten eggs to your mixing bowl. Mix them in thoroughly.



Add the flour to your mixing bowl in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.



Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you’re using an electric mixer and you add all the flour at once, it will poof out all over your counter and floor when you turn on the mixer.



Once the flour has been thoroughly incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a butter spatula and take the bowl out of the mixer.



Set the bowl on your counter and give it another stir.



Add the cup of mini chocolate chips and stir them in by hand. Make sure they’re evenly distributed.



Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. (Overnight is fine, too.)



Once your cookie dough has chilled and you’re ready to bake, take the bowl out of the refrigerator.



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