Kim, Author at Cinnamon and Sugar

Carrot Lane Cupcakes

With Easter fast approaching I’m always on the lookout for sweet treats that capture the “spirit” of Spring, especially treats that are easy to serve and share with friends and family. I was instantly drawn to the recipe for Carrot Lane Cupcakes from BANANAS FOSTER AND A DEAD MOBSTER by A. Gardner. These cupcakes are stuffed full of yummy goodies: healthy carrots, buttery pecans, plump golden raisins, tropical sweet coconut, and then topped with rich, cream cheese frosting. Perfect for your favorite little bunny! The author also bumps up the flavor component in these cupcakes by including an optional Bourbon add-in if you’re baking for adults.

Poppy Peters is finishing up culinary school at Calle Pastry Academy in Georgia. The new pastry instructor, Otto Chimenti, is America’s most eligible celebrity chef and has an ego to match. He’s teamed Poppy up with her nemesis, Georgina, to work on their final dessert and cake presentation. They must also work together at the farmer’s market giving out free samples from the students’ bakery while providing simple cooking demos. Poppy is in charge of demonstrating how to make Bananas Foster and hands a sample to a large man dressed in a pinstripe suit, which is much too hot for summer in the south. The mystery man ambles off to eat his ice cream smothered in bananas and rum sauce and soon after is found dead, with Poppy’s personal, initialed chef’s knife sticking from his back.

Detective Derek Reid is in charge of the investigation and warns Poppy to stick to her kitchen instead of getting into trouble by trying to solve the case. The dead guy is none other than Gino Milani, a member of the New Orleans mafia. Once her roommate, Bree, tells her that the mafia will retaliate against her since everyone will think Poppy is the murderer, she determines that she will have to find the real killer first. Plus she wants to prove to Detective Reid that there’s more to her skills than just baking.

The more questions Poppy asks the more secrets she finds are being hidden by a number of people but the threads of truth are difficult to unravel. It doesn’t take long for a mysterious black Cadillac to start following her and when another victim shows up, Poppy knows she’d better learn to trust the police and work with them instead of competing against them.

BANANAS FOSTER AND A DEAD MOBSTER is a fun culinary cozy! I love the setting at the Pastry Academy and hearing about all the treats they are making along with decorating skills. Poppy has several close friends that lend her support and encouragement, including Cole, the guy she crushes on but doesn’t want to admit it. Her roommate, Bree, is always in their apartment kitchen working on “Franken-Sweets”…looking to create the next cronut. She creates the Carrot Lane Cupcakes, which is a cross between Carrot Cake and Alabama Lane Cake, along with other spectacular desserts. The author provides several recipes, including some of Bree’s Franken-Sweets, at the back of the book and all sound incredibly delicious! In addition to the culinary side of the book, A. Gardner writes a mystery with twists and turns that leaves you guessing until the very end and then makes you wish the next book was available already to continue their story. Thank you, A. Gardner, for allowing me to share your recipe for Carrot Lane Cupcakes — these will become an annual tradition in our household!

A special thank you to A. Gardner for providing an e-book copy of BANANAS FOSTER AND A DEAD MOBSTER for one lucky reader to win! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Monday, March 28, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Carrot Lane Cupcakes

(Makes approximately 2 dozen cupcakes)

Ingredients

Cake

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1-1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 cups carrots, grated
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup bourbon (optional)

Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maraschino cherries for garnishing

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.

Mix in sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. (If using bourbon add this as well.)

Add carrots, raisins, pecans, and shredded coconut.

Mix well and scoop batter into lined muffin tins.

Bake cupcakes for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool before frosting them.

Frosting

Let the butter and cream cheese soften to room temperature.

Whip together the butter and cream cheese.

Add the vanilla extract and confectioners’ sugar and whip until smooth.

The icing should be about a medium consistency.

Frost each cupcake and top with a maraschino cherry.

Tip

We like our frosting piled sky-high on our cupcakes so I doubled the amount.

I added some mint green gel food coloring to the frosting to make carrot “tops” on top of cupcakes baked in bright orange wrappers.

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Coconut Cake

When I hear that a new release is coming in one of the series that I love to read, I do a happy dance! KILLER TAKEOUT by Lucy Burdette is releasing April 5th, and I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy.

KILLER TAKEOUT takes us back to Key West in the ten days leading up to Halloween. Hoards of people are flooding into the tropical town to participate in Fantasy Fest and Hayley Snow, Food Critic for Key Zest magazine, has her hands full. Wanting to avoid the overcrowded restaurants, she researches reliable takeout food for an article along with covering some of the Fantasy Fest events such as Zombie Bike Ride and a pet masquerade contest. On top of that her mother, Janet Snow, is arriving in town with her fiance, Sam, to get married on the beach…and a huge tropical storm is heading their way.

Danielle Kamen, the receptionist for Key Zest, is crowned Queen of Fantasy Fest. When Hayley hears that Danielle is in a cat fight with one of the other contestants, she rushes to lend her support and it takes police intervention to break it up. Danielle insists it wasn’t her fault, that she was trying to get away from Caryn Druckman. The next day as Hayley is riding in the Zombie bike ride taking photos and video for her article, she sees Caryn collapse in the middle of the ride. Hayley stops to help her but it’s too late….she’s dead. The police suspect poisoning and set their sights on Danielle given the altercation the day before. Danielle begs Hayley to clear her name since she’s a nervous wreck and can barely function. As Hayley starts asking questions around town, she’s not so sure Danielle wants to know the truth. Could it be Danielle’s own ambitious mother and aunt who had a hand in doing away with the competition or one of the many other people Caryn had stepped on in her fight for the crown?

There were so many things to love about this story! Lucy’s imagery made me feel a part of the Fantasy Fest and facilitated several laugh out loud moments. Hayley is a loyal friend and the relationships she has with her mom, Danielle, and her geriatric houseboat roommate seem genuine which adds charm to the story. There’s still some conflict in her relationship with Detective Nathan Bransford but the author gives them both room to explore and grow with each passing book.

The food descriptions alone can contribute to gaining about five pounds while reading…so many drool-worthy dishes are mentioned and as usual, Lucy shares several recipes at the back of the book. As soon as she asked if I’d like to make her coconut cake I knew exactly how I’d like to present it. While you can stack the 2 layers of cake with lusciously rich cream cheese frosting and tropical coconut nestled in between, this time of year calls for a fun kids’ cake! I first made a bunny cake almost thirteen years ago when my granddaughter, Jaidyn, turned one. It was my VERY first attempt at doing anything creative with a cake and of course I used a boxed mix and canned frosting. Lucy’s coconut cake and coconut cream cheese frosting are a natural match for the design and made the adults go back for seconds for another nibble of this supremely moist, tropical tasting cake! I have included a video tutorial below showing how to assemble the bunny cake along with a PDF template for cutting the ears and bow tie.

As a bonus for my readers I’m giving away either a print copy or e-book copy of KILLER TAKEOUT for one lucky reader to win! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Friday, March 25, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Non-U.S. residents will be awarded a digital copy. Prize will be sent out on the book’s release date of 4/5/16. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Eric’s Coconut Cake (Almost)

My friend Eric (the model for the psychologist character in the Key West mysteries) is famous for his coconut cake. And I’ve been looking for a recipe for coconut cake forever, so I begged for his. Of course, never able to quite leave a recipe alone, I did change things up a little from what he sent me. I used less of the cream of coconut and one block of cream cheese in the icing, instead of two. Oh, and unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened. It was delicious, if I say so myself. I think I will try this as a sheet cake next time I have to take something to a party…

Serves ten to twelve

Ingredients

Cake

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, and cut into cubes
3 ounces Coco Lopez from an 8-ounce can (save the rest for icing)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting

1 8-ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 ounces Coco Lopez (the rest of the can)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 1 and 1/2 cups – 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
7 – 8 ounces unsweetened flaked coconut (you can use sweetened flaked coconut too)

Easter Bunny Cake

Pink gel food coloring
Assorted candies

Click on the link: Easter Bunny PDF Template

Instructions

Cake

Heat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by buttering them well, lining with parchment, and then buttering the parchment too.

Mix all the dry cake ingredients in bowl of electric mixer or stand mixer at slow speed.

Add cool cubes of butter, a few at a time, along with the Coco Lopez, and continue beating on low for about 1-2 minutes.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, mixing well but minimally after each.

Mix the milk with the extracts.

Add 1/2 cup of milk mixture to flour mixture and beat until combined. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat for about 1 minute.

Pour batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.

Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake springs back when touched, in the neighborhood of 25 minutes. (Watch this because you don’t want to overcook…)

Cool the pans for ten minutes, then remove the cakes, one to a plate and the other to waxed paper, and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Frosting

Cream the butter and cream cheese together then add in the Coco Loco and vanilla extract.

Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until creamy. Add in additional confectioners’ sugar until desired consistency and sweetness level is reached.

Ice the top of the first layer, then sprinkle with coconut. Add the second layer, ice the whole cake, sprinkle the coconut all over, patting as needed.

Easter Bunny Cake

Tint 3 tablespoons of the flaked coconut pink, using 2 drops of pink gel food coloring. Set aside.

Using the Easter Bunny PDF Template, slice one of the 9-inch cake rounds into a bow tie and 2 ears.

Place the intact 9-inch cake round onto a large cake board and position the bow tie and 2 ears to make a bunny.

Cover the cakes with frosting.

Apply the pink coconut to form the shape of the bunny’s inner ears.

Cover the remaining cake with white coconut, pressing the coconut into the sides of the cake to adhere.

Decorate the bunny with assorted candies as desired. I used licorice whips, Lifesaver gummies, jelly beans, M & M’s, and Sixlets. View my video tutorial below to see how I assembled cake.

Tips

My can of Coco Loco separated so I puréed using an immersion stick blender before using.

Use EvenBake Cake Strips around the cake pans while baking to keep the cake tops from doming.

For my cake board, I use colorful fabric (wash first!) on a 1/2-inch thick cut piece of plywood that I’ve covered with washable contact paper. Hot glue the edges of the fabric to the bottom of the board. When the “party” is over, remove the fabric and bits of cake and frosting and throw away. Clean the contact paper covered board as needed and it will be ready to reuse for your next cake!

Of course you can make this luscious tropical cake as a regular layer cake!

Photo courtesy of Google Images

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Maggie and Georg’s Orange Wedding Cake

Last fall I read my first Candy Holliday Murder Mystery book, TOWN IN A PUMPKIN BASH, and got hooked. When I found out that the husband and wife team writing as B.B. Haywood, were coming out with a new release in the series last month, I was extremely happy…and their newest book, TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST, did not disappoint!

Candy Holliday has quit her managing editor position with the local newspaper so that she can work side-by-side with her father, Doc, on their blueberry farm. Her best friend, Maggie Tremont, is getting married to the town’s baker, Herr Georg Wolfsburger. They are holding their wedding at Candy and Doc’s farm and the bridal couple host a pre-wedding planning dinner at a local restaurant. When the best man, Julius Seaburg, doesn’t show Candy goes looking for him. Julius is the town’s unofficial historian and spends a great deal of time at the English Point Lighthouse Museum researching. Candy finds him at the museum face down, dead. A bottle of the champagne Georg had purchased for the wedding is near his body and seems to be the murder weapon.

While waiting for the police to arrive, the museum’s director shows up. Owen Peabody disregards the crime scene and picks up books that have fallen to the floor. A note flutters from one of the books with several names of the town’s founding families written on it. Owen stuffs it into his pocket believing it to be inconsequential, but Candy thinks it could be a clue Julius wrote before he died. When the police begin investigating the Chief of Police makes it clear that he considers Candy a suspect since she had means to snatch the champagne while she was at the restaurant and then she was found alone with the murder victim. Plus he doesn’t like how she’s found victims and solved several murders over the past few years.

Maggie is distressed and considers postponing the wedding after finding the unconscious body of the waiter who was handling their champagne. Candy determines she needs to find the killer so her friend can have the wedding of her dreams. Herr Georg, although somewhat elderly, jumps into the investigation with Candy to keep his bride-to-be from being stressed out. And as he points out, the murderer made it personal when he killed his best man using a bottle of his champagne.

One of the things I love about this series is the historical mystery thread that is woven throughout. Even though this is the seventh book in the series, it is still easily read as a stand-alone. If you have followed Candy’s story, TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST has more clarity to the feud between some of the founding families from eons back that continues into modern times and impacts the entire town. The author also does a wonderful job creating close family and friend relationships with the central characters. Of course I have to mention the delicious recipes that B.B. Haywood provide with their book! They have included the Orange Wedding Cake recipe Herr Georg made from an old family recipe for his and Maggie’s reception….although this recipe is scaled down to make a regular sized cake. The cake itself is fat-free but still rich tasting and moist. The super flavorful Orange Buttercream frosting makes this the perfect cake for any special occasion, like Easter. A huge thank you to B.B. Haywood for allowing me to share this wonderful recipe! It was so yummy, several of my taste testers went back for seconds and one even went back for thirds! I have included a short video tutorial at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to B.B. Haywood for providing a copy of TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST for one lucky reader to win! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Monday, March 21, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST and is open to U.S. residents only. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Maggie and Georg’s Orange Wedding Cake
with Orange Buttercream Frosting

(From an Old Wolfsburger family recipe)

Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake

Grated rind and juice of one large orange (about 1/3 cup orange juice)
5 eggs
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder

Orange Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
3 – 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted through a sieve or with a sifter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange extract
Up to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans or 1 9-inch-by-13-inch rectangular baking pan.

Into a large mixing bowl, squeeze the juice from 1 large orange.

Grate the rind of the same orange into the bowl, mix well with the juice.

Add eggs to the orange mixture and mix well.

Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing well with a wire whisk for 10 minutes.

Add cold water.

Add flour and baking powder, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Split batter between 2 pans or put it all in the 1 rectangular pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cakes in pans for 20 minutes, then turn out cakes onto 2 sheets of wax paper until ready to frost.

When cakes are completely cooled, set one round cake on a cake plate.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

In a large bowl beat the softened butter.

Mix some of the powdered sugar with the butter in the bowl.

Add salt, orange extract, and cream. Mix for 3 minutes.

Add more powdered sugar or cream to get the consistency you like.

Frost the top of 1 layer; put the second layer on top.

Frost the sides, then the top.

For a wedding cake, this would be many tiers high and decorated with vines and flowers.

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Chocolate Almond Crisps

Numerous years ago (too many to keep track of!) I was looking for a new mystery author to read. I was visiting my dear cousin, Mary, and she introduced me to the series Joanne Fluke writes: Hannah Swensen Mysteries with Recipes. The first one I read was CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER… a not too scary murder mystery with yummy recipes… I was hooked on cozy mysteries from then on!

With each new release in the series I eagerly devoured both the book and Ms. Fluke’s delectable treats and I still use many of the recipes she included with those long ago books. However, the last few years I was a bit…ummm….less than enthusiastic with the newer books. The protagonist, Hannah Swensen, waffled between the two men in her life, Mike and Norman. My thoughts were “just pick Norman” and move on! (I’m sure there are an equal number of you who were voting for Mike…) Well, Hannah has picked someone and wedding bells are set to ring in Joanne Fluke’s latest book, WEDDING CAKE MURDER! And I’m back to being excited about this series and can’t wait for the release of future stories!

Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota has been invited to compete in the Food Channel’s Dessert Chef Competition in New York. Engaged to Ross Barton, an old college crush, Hannah plans to have a small and very private wedding ceremony before the competition and turn the trip into a honeymoon. Of course the town is gossiping and spreading rumors about why she’s keeping it private, and Delores, Hannah’s mother, is mortified. Hannah finally agrees to a large wedding and gratefully allows her mother and sisters, Andrea and Michelle, to plan the event taking place in three weeks time. She has a business to run and a competition to prepare so Ross is very supportive of any decision she makes. Delores also thinks that both Mike and Norman should be invited to participate as groomsmen and it’s up to Hannah to make the offer. Hannah hasn’t talked to the two men since saying yes to Ross’s marriage proposal and is sick with worry about their response. Michelle bakes Chocolate Almond Crisps to sooth Hannah and her former suitors, and it seems to work. Both men agree to be a part of her wedding party and remain close friends.

The competition is moved up by ten days and a new twist has been added: the remaining rounds of the competition will move to the hometown of the first round’s winner. Hannah, Michelle and Ross fly to New York and meet the other contestants and judges, including Chef Alain Duquesne. Chef Duquesne has a reputation for being rude and arrogant but Hannah manages to wow him and wins the first round. The competition moves to Lake Eden Inn since the owners, Sally and Dick have a large enough kitchen to hold all the competitors. Hannah and Michelle arrive at the Inn early one morning to practice their recipe for the upcoming cookie round. Her younger sister, Michelle, finds Chef Alain Duquesne dead in the walk-in cooler with Hannah’s cake smashed next to him and the knife he used to cut the cake buried in his chest.

Mike shows up to investigate but he, along with everyone else in the town, knows Hannah will also be asking questions and trying to find the killer. She has a compulsion to find the truth, plus it was her baby sister who found the body and fingers are pointing at one of the other competitors with whom she made friends with. Hannah races against the clock to solve this latest murder and make it to the church on time to marry Ross.

I so enjoyed WEDDING CAKE MURDER and I was happy to see Hannah developing and growing as a person by taking this huge step in getting married. Ross plays a small part in the book but I hope in subsequent releases we get to know him as well as we’ve gotten to know Mike and Norman. I loved the interaction and the relationships between Hannah and her close-knit family and friends who all jump in to give her whatever support she needs, be it planning a wedding, preparing for the competition or running The Cookie Jar. It makes me feel that this is what small-town living is all about! The author writes a satisfying mystery with several potential suspects that kept me reading late into the night and guessing until the very end.

As usual, Ms. Fluke provides numerous delectable recipes that all sound fantastic! It was very difficult to choose just one to share but in the end I made the Chocolate Almond Crisps that Hannah served to Mike and Norman when talking to them for the first time after her engagement. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the chocolate chips are a natural compliment to the almond butter cookie. I shared the generous batch with the teachers at my granddaughter’s school and they were a hit! I have included a short video tutorial at the bottom of the page.

Thank you to Ms. Fluke and to Kensington Publishing for allowing me to share this recipe!

A very special thank you to Kensington Publishing for providing a hardcover copy of WEDDING CAKE MURDER for one lucky reader to win! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe for a chance to win. Contest ends Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST and is open to U.S. residents only. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Chocolate Almond Crisps

Ingredients

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond butter (Ms. Fluke used Jif brand – I used Trader Joe’s Natural Almond Butter which is a bit runnier..it was still delicious!)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 cup regular chocolate chips (6-ounce net weight package or half a 12-ounce package – I used Nestle)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Microwave the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl to melt it. This should take about 90 seconds on HIGH.

Add the white sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until everything is combined.

Measure out one cup of almond butter.

Hannah’s 1st Note: Spray the inside of the measuring cup with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray before you put in the almond butter to measure it. Then the almond butter won’t stick to the sides and bottom of the measuring cup, and it will be easier to remove.

Add the almond butter to your bowl and mix it in. Continue mixing until the contents are thoroughly incorporated.

Mix in the vanilla and the beaten eggs. Continue to mix until the contents are completely combined.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Continue mixing until the cookie batter is smooth.

If you used an electric mixer, scrape down the bowl, give it a final stir, and mix in the chocolate chips by hand.

Let your cookie dough rest in the bowl on the counter while you prepare your cookie sheets. Either spray them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray or line them with parchment paper.

Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you use parchment paper, the cookies will be easier to remove after baking. Then all you have to do is pull the parchment paper, cookies and all, over onto a wire rack.

When your cookie sheets have been prepared, roll the cookie dough into one-inch balls with your hands. (Lisa and I use a 2-teaspoon scoop to do this down at The Cookie Jar.)

Hannah’s 3rd Note: If the dough is too sticky to roll into balls, chill it for a half-hour or so before you try again.

Place the dough balls on the cookie sheets, 12 dough balls to a standard-sized sheet.

Use the tines of a fork to make a crisscross pattern on top of each dough ball, flattening them a bit in the process, the way you would for peanut butter cookies.

Hannah’s 4th Note: If the fork sticks, either spray the tines with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or dredge the fork in a little flour.

Bake your Chocolate Almond Crisps at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. (Mine took 8 minutes.)

Take your cookies out of the oven and let them sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hannah’s 5th Note: When Sally and Dick Laughlin host their Oktoberfest celebration at the Lake Eden Inn, I always help Sally bake these cookies for the guests. If you substitute white chocolate chips for the regular chocolate chips, the cookies taste a lot like marzipan, which is a candy or almond paste that is a popular ingredient used in desserts, cakes, and cookies in Germany.

Yield: A batch of Chocolate Almond Crisps will make approximately 5 to 6 dozen delicious cookies.

My Tip

These cookies can easily be made up through forming the dough into balls and then freezing on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. (You can fit them tightly onto the sheet.)

Once frozen solid, transfer the cookie balls to a freezer-safe ziplock bag. When ready to bake, remove the desired amount and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow them to come to room temperature while your oven preheats then crisscross with a fork and bake as directed above. I do this frequently especially at the beginning of the Thanksgiving / Christmas holiday season so I have cookies on hand as needed. Perfect for drop-in guests or a quick gift for teachers, neighbors, or friends.

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Josie’s Jelly Cookies

I so enjoy being introduced to new authors who write culinary cozy mysteries, especially when it’s a series. Recently I had the chance to read BAKED TO DEATH, A Cookies & Chance Mystery, by Catherine Bruns.

Sally Muccio owns Sally’s Samples, a bakery in Colwestern, New York. She’s only been in business five months after moving from Florida back to her hometown to get away from her cheating ex-husband, Colin. She hired her best friend, Josie Sullivan, as the baker and reconnected with her high school love, Mike Donovan. The bakery is doing extremely well (and so is her romance) when Sally and Josie are invited to participate as contestants for Cookie Crusades, a reality baking competition in Orlando, Florida. With the grand prize $20,000 and the business it will bring to the bakery, Sally can’t pass up the chance to compete.

One of the perks that sets her bakery apart from others is she offers a free, home-made fortune cookie to every customer. A cookie breaks and she reads a strange fortune just before her ex-husband walks into her bakery telling her he should own 50% of her business. He’s got a shady attorney ready to sue, even though she opened the business after their divorce. Sally tries to shake it off and goes out with Mike, Josie and her husband to celebrate Josie’s birthday but the celebration is interrupted when Colin attacks her in the ladies’ room. Mike comes to her rescue and threatens to kill Colin if he ever comes near Sally again. Colin manages to slice Mike’s arm with a knife and escape, which enrages Mike even more.

The next morning the police show up and arrest Mike for the shooting murder of Colin, after finding his fingerprints in Colin’s motel room. Sally knows Mike went out in the middle of the night but he told her he was walking his dog. To make matters worse she finds he hid a gun in his bedroom but she’s sure he’s still innocent. Sally’s grandmother helps provide the funds to pay for bail so Mike doesn’t have to sit in jail. When he goes on the run, Sally’s love and her belief in his innocence is put to the ultimate test. Determined to find the truth, she leaves for Florida with Josie to participate in Cookie Crusades and look into Colin’s life after her divorce. Sally finds numerous people who wanted Colin dead and worries that they may be turning their sights on her. Can she find the real killer before it’s too late or will Mike take the fall?

Not only is BAKED TO DEATH an exciting, fast-paced story, there’s also a sweet romance about letting the past go and learning to hope for a better future. I loved the characters that Catherine has surrounding Sally, from her supportive, strong grandmother to her fun loving, romantic parents who end up mostly embarrassing Sally, her sister and Josie…and gave me a few giggles over their antics. I look forward to reading more in this series!

Catherine also includes several recipes at the back of the book and has graciously allowed me to share her recipe for Josie’s Jelly Cookies which Sally and Josie make during their competition. With your favorite flavor of jam or jelly nestled in a cup of buttery, tender shortbread, these cookies are elegant and beautiful with the jeweled tones. I love to make homemade jam which was the perfect accompaniment to these delicious cookies and have included links at the bottom of the page for my jam recipes along with a quick video tutorial on these easy to mix up jelly cookies.

A very special thanks to Catherine Bruns for providing giveaways of both a print copy and an e-book of BAKED TO DEATH for readers to win! (Non-U.S. residence will be awarded an e-book.) Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe for a chance to win and be sure to comment whether you prefer a print copy or an e-book. Contest ends Monday, March 14, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Josie’s Jelly Cookies

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour
Jam – Strawberry, Raspberry, Grape, your choice. (Can be seeded or unseeded.)**

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Fahrenheit.

Cream butter, sugar, yolks, and vanilla together.

Sift flour and mix into the wet mixture.

Shape cookies in hand to make a ball about the size of a tablespoon, and press thumb firmly into the center.

Fill imprint with favorite jam.

Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. (My oven took about 15 minutes to bake the cookies.)

Let cool on the cookie sheet – the jelly especially will be very hot!

Makes about two dozen generous-sized cookies.

**If you’d like to make your own jam, here is a list of jams I’ve made and shared on my blog. Click on the links below to view the recipe.

Spiced Peach Preserves

Rose Petal Jam (this is my granddaughter’s favorite jam!)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Raspberry Jam

Wild Blackberry Jam

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Triple Layer Pistachio Pie

With St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching, I looked forward to reading SHAMROCK SHENANIGANS by Kathi Daley to get in the spirit of the Irish celebration…and it certainly did just that! Zoe Donavan and her husband, Zak Zimmerman, and their dog, Charlie, have traveled to Ireland so Zoe can participate in a murder mystery weekend at an ancient Irish castle that is supposedly haunted. Lord Fergus Dunphy’s family has owned the castle for centuries and rumor has it that some of the former residents have not moved on.

After settling in to their room, Zoe and Zak meet up with the other guests over dinner. They find out that they occupy the room that Catherine, wife of a former Lord Dunphy, occupied in the 1600’s and she’s supposedly still around. Only five of the twelve guests are competing in the mystery contest, the rest are guests, a reporter, and a movie star, Brent Silverwood, who asked to attend in order to “study” for an upcoming role. It has been raining non-stop since they arrived but as the evening progresses, the storm intensifies. Lord Dunphy announces that the bridge to the mainland has flooded and with the storm raging, they are completely stranded. To make matters worse, the storm has knocked out both the telephone service and cell service. Lord Dunphy assures the guests there is nothing to worry about…there is plenty of food and they are completely safe…. until Zoe and Zak stumble across the murdered body of Brent Silverwood late that night, hidden in the massive grounds.

Unfortunately the body disappears before anyone else sees it and some guests are either skeptical that a murder actually took place or think Zoe and Zak are killers. Without any way to contact authorities, Zoe decides she needs to find the real killer before another murder takes place on the isolated island.

In amongst a nicely written who-done-it in an exciting location, Kathi has included interesting sub-plots. Catherine, the 1600’s Lady of the castle, hasn’t passed on to the light and takes an interest in Zoe. When Catherine was alive, she bore the Lord twelve sons and upon each birth, she was given a precious jewel. No one knows what happened to the jewels and Zoe is intrigued so begins to search for them in addition to trying to figure out who the killer is. She is also challenged to think about having children of her own. Is she ready for that kind of commitment? She also believes that Catherine has stayed at the castle because she has a centuries old secret that needs discovery. Can Zoe figure out what the ghost is trying to communicate? The parade of characters in the story bring intrigue to the party. They all seem to be hiding something and some aren’t who they say they are. Zoe has her hands full in her latest adventure in the Emerald Isle and kept me entertained the entire book!

In addition to an entertaining read Kathi has included several recipes. The one that caught my eye immediately was the Triple Layer Pistachio Pie…a crunchy Oreo crust with a fudgy layer of chocolate and buttery pistachios, then topped with 3 layers of creamy pudding and whipped topping. I shared some of the pie with friends and one labeled it, “The Mother Lode of desserts!” And of course she went back for seconds! Best of all? It’s a no-bake dessert if you choose to buy a pre-made Oreo crust. The perfect pie to serve for Saint Patrick’s festivities or anytime you want something incredibly delicious with little effort. I have a short video tutorial at the bottom of the page if you would like to see just how easy it is to make this. No cooking experience necessary 🙂 Thank you to Vivian Shane for submitting the recipe for this book and to Kathi for allowing me to share it!

A very special thanks to Kathi Daley for offering readers a chance to win either an e-book or print copy of SHAMROCK SHENANIGANS – winner’s choice! (Non-U.S. residence will be awarded an e-book.) Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe for a chance to win. Contest ends Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Triple Layer Pistachio Pie

This is a visually appealing pie with its graduated colors in the three layers, which are a nice contrast to the dark Oreo crust.

Ingredients

2 ounces Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 Oreo pie crust (purchased pre-made or see my recipe below)
3/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios, divided
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) Jell-O pistachio flavored instant pudding
1-3/4 cup cold milk
1 tub (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed

Instructions

Mix the chocolate and condensed milk until blended then spread onto the bottom of the crust.

Sprinkle with half the nuts.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Beat the pudding mixes and milk with a whisk for 2 minutes (pudding will be thick).

Spread 1-1/2 cups over the chocolate layer of the crust.

Stir half of the whipped topping into the remaining pudding and spread over the pudding layer.

Top with the remaining whipped topping and sprinkle with the remaining nuts.**

Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Tip

**To make the pie more holiday festive, omit the pistachio garnish and instead, place a shamrock cookie cutter on top of the pie and sprinkle inside the cutter with green sparkling sugar. You can see how to do this on my video tutorial below.

To easily melt chocolate, place chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir vigorously, allowing the heat from the bowl to help melt the chocolate. Heat in additional 10 second intervals, stirring each time, until chocolate is smooth. Use caution and don’t overheat!