Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(39)

3. Terry says she uses a medium cookie scoop (approximately 2 Tablespoons) and puts 12 cookies to a sheet. She always uses parchment paper instead of a bare cookie sheet. She rinses her cookie scoop after every 4 or 5 cookies so the dough won’t stick to the scoop.



Hannah’s Note: These are a lot easier to mix if you use an electric mixer. You can also do them by hand, but it does take some muscle.



Beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together until all three ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and the mixture is smooth, fluffy, and light yellow in color.



Make sure your applesauce is well drained. You don’t really want to add liquid here. (I pat off any excess liquid with a paper towel before I add it to my bowl.) Add the applesauce to your bowl and mix in thoroughly.



Mix in the vanilla extract.



Blend in the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix it well, until the dough is smooth and is a uniform color.



Mix in the pineapple, golden raisins, and walnuts.



Blend in the flour, about a rounded cupful at a time. You don’t have to be exact—the point is to add the flour in three parts so that you don’t try to mix it all in at once. If you add the whole 31/2 cups at once and then try to beat it, it’ll spill out all over your counter and floor! (The next time you come into The Cookie Jar, you can ask me how I know this.)



Remove the bowl from your mixer. You’ll have to do this next part by hand. Coconut and shredded carrots tend to bunch up inside your beaters and will cause a real mess. (You can ask me how I know this, too!)



Stir in the coconut. When it’s incorporated, stir in the shredded carrots. Mix well to make sure everything is blended.



When the dough is all mixed, it will be thick and rather sticky, much like very thick cake batter. That’s why you have to chill it. It would be impossible to work with without “hardening” it in the refrigerator.



Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (Overnight is fine, too.)



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



Prepare your cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper (the best method for this cookie) or spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.



Use two spoons to drop the dough onto the cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-size cookie sheet. Each cookie should contain about 2 Tablespoons of dough.



Wet your fingers and shape the dough into rounds if needed. This won’t make them taste any different, but they’ll look more uniform.



Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12 minutes. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for a minute, and then remove them to wire racks to cool. When they’ve cooled, frost them with Terry’s Cream Cheese Frosting.



Yield: approximately 10 dozen yummy cookies

TERRY’S CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1 stick (1/2 cup, 1/4 pound) butter at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1-pound box of confectioner’s (powdered) sugar (3 ? to 4 cups)



Mix the cream cheese and butter together until they’re smooth and blended to a uniform color.



Mix in the vanilla.



Blend in confectioner’s sugar in one-cup increments until the resulting frosting is smooth and creamy.



Hannah’s Note: This frosting is a win-win proposition. If it turns out to be too thick to spread, mix in a few drops of milk or cream to thin it. If it turns out to be too thin, mix in a little more confectioner’s sugar to thicken it.





Chapter Thirteen




“Yes, I did find her. And yes, she was in the Jacuzzi.” Hannah poured more coffee for a table of women who’d come in for the express purpose of getting more information from her. “I really can’t tell you any details. The sheriff’s department is investigating her death, and they should be circulating an official press release very soon.”

“Hannah?” Lisa motioned her over to the counter.

Hannah made her apologies to the table of ladies and hurried to her partner’s side. “What is it?”

“More cookies. We only have a dozen left, and that’s with the new prices.”

“New prices?”

Lisa nodded. “You told me to handle the financial end of things, and that’s what I’m doing. We’re going to make a good profit today.”

“That’s the only thing I ever felt like thanking Ronni for,” Hannah said, frowning slightly.

“I feel exactly the same way. Anyway…do we have any more cookies left in the freezer?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll go look. If we don’t, do you want me to bake some?”

“Yes, if you can think of something quick.”

“How about some Boggles?”

“They should work, since the dough doesn’t have to chill.” Lisa glanced at the clock. “It’s almost time for the lull between lunch cookies and afternoon cookies, but I don’t think it’ll be much of a break today. Everybody’s coming in to see you. They’ll wait if I promise them fresh cookies and your firsthand account of finding Ronni.”