Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(11)

Hannah smiled. This she could handle. “I’ll do that, Georgina.”

“Now eat up those onion rings before they get cold.” Georgina turned to face Michelle. “I heard you’re coming along great with the Thanksgiving play. Everybody says it’s going to be wonderful.”

“Thanks for telling me, Georgina. You got tickets, didn’t you?”

Hannah was secretly amused. She’d heard Michelle ask The Cookie Jar customers the very same question.

“I got mine the first day they went on sale.”

“They’re going to run an ad for the play on KCOW tonight,” Michelle told her. “P.K. just filmed it today.”

“What time?”

“Between eight and eight-thirty.”

Georgina looked disappointed. “I’m on until ten tonight.”

“Maybe they’ll put it on in the bar and you can sneak away to see it,” Hannah suggested.

“I’ll tell the bartender about it,” Georgina promised. “And I’ll call my sister. She can always record it for me.” She turned to look at another table. “I’d better go. They probably want coffee at table sixteen. Bye, girls.”

They were both hungry, and it didn’t take long for Hannah and Michelle to finish their meal. Georgina brought them coffee and the check, and Hannah gave her a generous tip. Once they’d finished their coffee, Hannah glanced at her watch. “We’d better go. If it’s still windy out there, it might take a while to get home.”

“Good idea,” Michelle agreed, standing up and slinging her purse over her shoulder. “Hurry up, Hannah. I’m going up to the register to pick up coffee to go for us. Your truck is going to be cold.”

In less than five minutes, they were in Hannah’s cookie truck, pulling out of the parking lot. The wind was still blowing, but visibility was much better than it had been when they’d driven in.

“What smells so good?” Michelle asked, after they’d turned on the access road to the highway.

“It’s probably the Pineapple Crunch Cookies. I packed up the ones that were left so that we could take them home.”

“Brilliant,” Michelle complimented her. “I’ll make a pot of coffee once we get to the condo, and we can eat cookies and drink coffee while we’re waiting for P.K.’s commercial to air. There’s only one problem with that.”

“What’s that?” Hannah asked her.

“I want a cookie right now,” Michelle said, leaning over the back of her seat to see if she could reach the cookies that Hannah had packed for them.

Hannah just smiled, deciding not to voice the thought that was running through her mind. You just ate two double double cheeseburgers with bacon, a side of French fries, a side of coleslaw, and most of the onion rings that Georgina gave us. And now you’re rummaging around in the back of the truck for cookies?





PINEAPPLE CRUNCH COOKIES (LIGHT FANDANGO COOKIES)

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



1 can (8 ounces by weight) crushed pineapple (I used Dole)

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ? pound)

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

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

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large beaten eggs (you can just beat them up in a cup with a fork)

2 and ? cups all-purpose flour (not sifted – pack it down in the measuring cup)

2 cups corn flakes (I used Kellogg’s)

1 to 2 cups white chocolate (or vanilla) chips





Open the can of crushed pineapple and drain it in a strainer. Save the juice if someone in your house likes pineapple juice.





Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Heat it on HIGH in the microwave for 1 minute. Let it sit in the microwave for an additional minute and check to see if it’s melted. If it’s not, heat it in 20-second increments until it is.





Place the white sugar in a large mixing bowl.





Add the brown sugar and mix both sugars together until they are a uniform color.





Pour the melted butter on top of the sugar. Mix it in thoroughly.





Sprinkle in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.





Feel the mixing bowl to make sure it’s not so hot it could cook the eggs. If it’s still hot, let it cool for a few minutes.





Mix in the beaten eggs. Continue mixing until everything is smooth and combined.





Add in the flour in half-cup increments, mixing it in thoroughly after each increment.





Pat the crushed pineapple with a paper towel and add it to your mixing bowl. Beat until it’s thoroughly mixed in.





Measure out the corn flakes and put them in a sealable plastic bag. Seal up the bag and crush the corn flakes with your hands, by squeezing the bag, or by rolling it with a rolling pin. Continue to crush until the corn flakes are the size of crushed gravel.