Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(42)

“That’s part of it. The other part is taste-testing cookies for us means that they’re free.”

“That’s always a bonus.” Norman took another cookie and pushed the plate toward Hannah. “Put those away, please. They’re addictive, and I’ll eat them all if you leave them here.”

Hannah was smiling as she removed the plate and placed it on the kitchen counter, but her smile faded as she approached the work station again. “I need to show you something, Norman. I need your advice.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“Cyril gave me a check for five hundred dollars this morning. He said his profit from selling Ross’s car was more than the cost of Michelle’s car.”

“That’s great, Hannah!”

“Yes, but what happened after that wasn’t so great. Or maybe it was. I need you to tell me.”

“Okay. What happened?”

“I stopped by the bank to deposit Cyril’s check to my personal account and I discovered that there could be a big problem.”

“It’s okay, Hannah. If you need money, I’ll be glad to lend it to you.”

“It’s not that, Norman. As a matter of fact, it’s exactly the opposite.”

“Exactly the opposite?” Norman looked puzzled. “What do you mean? You’d better start from the beginning, Hannah.”





MAPLE CRUNCH COOKIES




DO NOT preheat oven—dough must chill before baking



2 cups white (granulated) sugar

2 cups salted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ? pound),

softened to room temperature

2 large eggs beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

? cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour (pack the flour down in the cup when you measure it)

? cup crushed corn flakes (measure AFTER crushing – I used Kellogg’s Corn Flakes)

1 cup (6-ounce package) white chocolate or vanilla

chips

? cup white (granulated) sugar (for later, to coat the cookie dough balls you will make before baking your cookies)





Hannah’s 1st Note: To measure maple syrup, spray the inside of the measuring cup with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. If you do this, the syrup will not stick to the inside of the measuring cup.





Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can make these cookies by hand in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, but using an electric mixer is a lot easier.





Place the white sugar and the softened salted butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.





Beat them together until they are smooth and creamy.





Add the beaten eggs and mix them in thoroughly.





Add the maple syrup and mix it in until it is well combined.





With the mixer running on LOW speed, beat in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is well combined.





Measure out the flour and add it to the bowl in half-cup increments, mixing thoroughly after each addition.





Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and remove it from the mixer.





Add the crushed corn flakes and white chocolate chips to your mixing bowl and stir them in by hand. Continue stirring until they are evenly distributed.





Give your Maple Crunch Cookie dough a final stir by hand with a wooden spoon.





Chill the dough for at least 1 hour before baking. (Overnight is fine, too.)





When your dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.





While your oven is preheating, prepare your baking sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray or lining them with parchment paper.





Measure out the ? cup of white sugar and place it in a shallow bowl. You’ll use this to coat your dough balls.





Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands.





Roll the dough balls in the bowl of sugar and then place them on the prepared cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet.





Flatten the dough balls just a bit with a metal spatula. (This will keep them from rolling off the cookie sheet as you carry it to the oven.)





Bake your Maple Crunch Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.





Take the cookies out of the oven. Cool them on the cookie sheets for no more than 2 minutes. Then remove the cookies and place them on a rack to complete cooling. (If you leave them on the cookie sheets for too long, they’ll stick.)





Michelle’s Note: Andrea says that Tracey and Bethie are trying to convince her to bring them down to The Cookie Jar so that they can eat these cookies instead of the bowls of cereal that Andrea usually gives them for breakfast.