Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(64)

“Where is Earl plowing today?” Hannah asked, hoping that Carrie wouldn’t ask why she wanted to know.

“He’s out on the roads around Eden Lake. Jessie Pillager called this morning and asked if Earl could plow the road that runs past his lake cabin. It’s been snowed in since the blizzard and Jessie wants to go out to check the pipes.”

Hannah drew a deep breath in relief. Earl was nowhere in town and if Ross did show up to try to get his cash from the bank, Earl wouldn’t find out about it until after Ross had left.

“Jessie’s got a problem on his hands if he didn’t wrap those pipes,” Delores commented. “It was really cold last week.”

Carrie shrugged. “That’s Jessie. Earl says he likes to roll the dice when it comes to going out to winterize his cabin. He had to replace all his pipes year before last because he waited too long to wrap them and they burst.”

“What would you like me to do about this?” Hannah asked Carrie.

“Talk to Earl and tell him to be careful. The big problem is that Earl thinks the sun rises and sets on Norman. He adores my son. And he knows that Norman is in love with you. He also knows that Ross wronged you and he likes you a lot, Hannah. I wouldn’t put it past Earl to want to get even with Ross for hurting you.”

Hannah nodded even though she thought that Carrie was probably borrowing trouble. “I’ll talk to Earl,” she promised.

“Oh, good! He’ll be coming in The Cookie Jar sometime in the late morning or early afternoon. I told him I wanted him to pick up some cookies for tonight’s dessert. Will you tell Lisa to keep an eye out for Earl and tell you when he gets there?”

“Of course I will.” Hannah finished her peppermint tea, even though she didn’t really want it, and carried her cup to the sink. “I’d better get back to work now. Lisa probably needs more fresh cookies in the coffee shop.”

“I’ll walk you partway down,” Delores said, rising from her chair. “I want to reset the grandfather clock on the landing. I heard it chime earlier this morning and it’s five minutes slow.”

Delores put her hand on Hannah’s arm as they reached the landing. “Thank you for coming right over, dear,” she said in a voice that couldn’t be overheard from above. “I think Carrie is worried for no reason, but she knows Earl a lot better than I do.”

“I’ll take care of it, Mother,” Hannah assured her. “Tell Carrie I’ll talk to Earl the minute he comes in.”





TORTILLA SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

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



1 package containing 10 taco-sized (8-inch) flour tortillas (You will use 6 of these flour tortillas in this recipe.)

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon ? cup white (granulated) sugar ? cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound) salted butter





Prepare a baking sheet or a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper.



Cut each tortilla into 8 equal pieces.



Hannah’s 1st Note: The easiest way to do this is to cut the circle in half, cut each half in half to make quarters, and cut each quarter in half to make 8 pieces.



Place the cinnamon in a shallow bowl on the counter.



Add the white granulated sugar to the bowl and mix them together with a fork.



Hannah’s 2nd Note: We usually place the cinnamon and sugar in a sealable plastic bag and shake it to mix the two ingredients.



Place the half-cup of salted butter in a second shallow bowl that is microwave-safe.



Heat the butter on HIGH in the microwave for 30 seconds. Check to see if your butter is melted. If it is, leave the bowl in the microwave. If it isn’t, heat it for another 15 seconds on HIGH.



Take the bowl out of the microwave and set it on your kitchen counter next to the bowl with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. (Be careful. The bowl with the melted butter could be hot.)



Move the prepared cookie sheet next to the bowls for easy access.



Dip each flour tortilla piece into the bowl with the melted butter. Be sure to coat both sides of the piece.



Take the piece out of the butter bowl and dip it in the bowl with the cinnamon and sugar. Again, be sure to coat both sides with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.



Do this for all of your flour tortilla pieces.



Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you have quite a bit of melted butter and cinnamon and sugar mixture left, don’t worry. You can always save it to make more Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookies after the first sheet comes out of the oven. You may have to re-melt the butter if your kitchen is cold, but that’s easy to do in the microwave.



When all of your tortilla pieces have been coated with butter, the cinnamon and sugar mixture, and placed on the cookie sheet, you are ready to bake them.



Bake the Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookies at 350 degrees F. for approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until they are a nice golden brown. (My cookies took the full 12 minutes.)



Take the cookie sheet out of the oven, place it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack on the counter, and let your delicious snack cookies cool thoroughly. Then take them off the parchment paper and serve them.