Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(82)

“Oh, that would have been much better than the job she had!” Lila said. “She worked for Dr. Benson and I don’t think he utilized her skills well enough. She took bookkeeping, typing, filing, and computer science here at Clarissa High. She passed all those business classes with A’s, and all Dr. Benson wanted her to do for him was answer the phone and keep his appointment book. Believe me, Pinkie was capable of a more demanding job than that!”





BUTTERSCOTCH MARSHMALLOW BAR COOKIES


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



10-ounce package Lorna Doone shortbread cookies

(if you can’t find them, you can use Pecan

Sandies, or Nilla Wafers)

2 cups miniature marshmallows (white, not colored)

6-ounce package butterscotch chips (approximately

1 cup – I used Nestle)

1 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt

? cup butter (1 stick, ? pound)

? cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract





Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or other nonstick spray. (If you like, buy a disposable foil pan at the grocery store, place it on a cookie sheet to support the bottom, and then you won’t have to clean up. You can also avoid clean up by lining your regular cake pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.)

Line the bottom of the pan with a layer of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies. (It’s okay to overlap a little.) Alternatively, crush the round cookies, and spread the cookie crumbs out over the bottom of the pan. Make enough cookie crumbs to completely cover the bottom and press them down with a metal spatula when you’re through.





Hannah’s 1st Note: If you couldn’t find the shortbread cookies and you need to use round cookies instead, crush the cookies by putting them in a sealable plastic bag and rolling them with a rolling pin or dropping them into a food processor and processing in an on-and-off motion with the steel blade. The crumbs should be the size of coarse gravel.





Sprinkle the shortbread cookies (or the cookie crumbs) with the marshmallows.





Cover the marshmallows with the butterscotch chips.





Cover the butterscotch chips with the chopped pecans.





Sprinkle the chopped pecans with 2 teaspoons of Kosher or sea salt.





In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and brown sugar. Stir the mixture constantly until the sugar is dissolved.





Hannah’s 2nd Note: Alternatively, you can place the butter and brown sugar in a microwave-safe container and melt it on HIGH for 1 minute. If you choose to do it this way, let the mixture sit in the microwave for another minute and then take it out and stir it to see if the brown sugar has melted. If it hasn’t, process it for another 20 seconds, let it sit in the microwave for another minute, and try again. Repeat as often as necessary.





Once you have melted your butter and brown sugar and stirred the mixture smooth, add the vanilla extract and stir it in thoroughly.





Drizzle the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract mixture over the contents of the cake pan as evenly as you can.





Bake your Butterscotch Marshmallow Bar Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bar cookies are golden brown on top.





Remove the pan from the oven and cool it on a wire rack.





When the bar cookies are completely cool, cut them into brownie-sized pieces and serve.





If there are any leftovers (which there won’t be unless you have less than three people), store them in the refrigerator in a covered container. They can also be wrapped, sealed in a freezer bag, and frozen for up to two months.





Yield: 2 and ? to 3 dozen yummy treats that will please adults and kids alike.





Hannah’s 3rd Note: Tracey loves to make these with me and take them to class for a treat. Since her little sister, Bethie, wants to help, her job is to take the marshmallows out of the bag, one by one, and put them in the measuring cup. Bethie does a really good job doing this and Tracey and I pretend not to notice if she eats a couple of marshmallows while she’s doing it.





PICCADILLY CHEESE MINI MUFFINS (PICKLE-DILLY)

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



1 and ? cups dry biscuit mix (I used Bisquick)

? cup grated cheddar cheese (I used Kraft sharp cheddar)

? teaspoon garlic powder

? teaspoon onion powder

? teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon white (granulated) sugar

? teaspoon dry mustard

cup (2 Tablespoons) whole milk

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

? cup dill pickle relish (I used Vlasic Dill Relish)





Hannah’s 1st Note: Do not mix up these mini muffins with an electric mixer. Any time you make muffins, they should be mixed by hand for best results.





Hannah’s 2nd Note: This recipe can be doubled, but only use one egg, not two.