Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(57)

CHOCOLATE-COVERED PEANUT COOKIES

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

Hannah’s 1st Note: Mike loves chocolate-covered peanuts and he adores these cookies. For those with peanut allergies, use chocolate-covered something else and another flavor of chips. (I’ve baked these with M&Ms and white chocolate chips, and they were delicious.)

1 cup salted butter, softened (2 sticks, 8 ounces,

? pound)

1 small package (makes 4 half-cups) vanilla instant

pudding mix (NOT sugar-free)

? cup white (granulated) sugar

? cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when

you measure it)

1 egg, beaten (just whip it up in a glass with a fork)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

? teaspoon salt

? teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 and ? cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the

cup when you measure it)

1 and ? cups quick rolled oats (I used Quaker’s

Quick 1-minute kind)

1 cup chocolate-covered peanuts (I used a 12-ounce

bag. There was about ? cup left, but not for very

long!)

1 cup peanut butter chips (a 6-ounce package—I

used Reese’s)

Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can mix these cookies up by hand, but it’s a lot easier with an electric mixer.

Mix the softened butter, dry pudding mix, white sugar, and brown sugar together. Beat them until they’re light and fluffy.

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

Add the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until everything is incorporated.

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

Add the rolled oats in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chocolate-covered peanuts and the peanut butter chips by hand.

Drop the cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart, no more than 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (I covered my cookie sheet with parchment paper.) You can also use a 2-teaspoon size scooper to dish out the cookie dough.

Bake the Chocolate-Covered Peanut Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the cookie sheets. Then remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Yield: Makes approximately 4 dozen wonderful cookies.

Chapter Twenty


Lisa was between performances when Delores and Jenny came in. She led them back to the kitchen and smiled as she saw that Hannah had baked more cookies. “Thanks, Hannah. We were getting close to running out.”

“You won’t run out. I’ve got six pans of bar cookies in the oven right now.”

“Great.” Lisa turned to the smiling, brown-haired woman standing next to Delores. “Jenny? This is Hannah.” And then she turned to Hannah. “I told Jenny and your mother we’d have coffee in the kitchen if you weren’t too busy back here.”

“I’m not too busy. Nice to meet you, Jenny. Sit down and I’ll get our coffee.”

“I’ll do it,” Lisa said quickly. “All I’ve been doing is telling stories since we opened. With Marge, Dad, and Michelle here, I haven’t had to wait on a single table.”

“This story was very dramatic,” Delores said, sitting down on a stool at the work island. “Good job, Lisa.”

“It was scary too,” Jenny added, taking the stool next to Delores, “especially the part about her hair floating in the currents.”

Delores gave a slight shiver. “I know. I think I ate two cookies without even knowing I was eating them.” She turned to Hannah. “You were very brave to dive down there, dear.”

“Brave or foolish, I’m not sure which,” Hannah said, accepting a mug of coffee from Lisa.

“Your slaydar makes you do it,” Delores said. And when Jenny looked puzzled she explained. “Slaydar is like radar except you don’t use it to find speeders. Hannah uses it to find murder victims.”

“That’s cute,” Jenny said, and then she frowned slightly. “Or maybe it’s not. It must be frightening to discover murder victims.”

“It’s not all fun and games,” Hannah admitted. “Unfortunately, I can’t seem to stop doing it.”

“I know. I read about you in the paper, Hannah.”

“The Lake Eden Journal?” Hannah asked her.

“No, the Minneapolis Star Tribune.”

“Really?” Delores looked impressed. “When was that, Jenny?”

“It was when Hannah caught Buddy’s killer.”

Hannah went on full alert. Jenny hadn’t said When Hannah caught that keyboard player’s killer, or When Hannah caught that jazz musician’s killer, or even When Hannah caught Buddy Neiman’s killer. She’d said When Hannah caught Buddy’s killer, as if she’d known him. “Did you know Buddy Neiman?” Hannah asked.

“No, but I felt almost like I did. Clay talked about him a lot. He told me he thought there was something very secretive about Buddy. And Clay was right.”

“Clay,” Hannah repeated. “Are you talking about Clayton Wallace?”

“Yes.”

“Then you knew him?” Hannah asked, drawing the obvious conclusion.