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KNEE DEEP IN DOUGH, the tenth book in the Cookies & Chance Mysteries by Catherine Bruns, is another terrific addition to a long- enjoyed series! While this can be read as a stand-alone, the author’s strength is in her character development over the course of the series. The protagonist, Sally Muccio, and her husband, dreamy Mike Donovan, are celebrating their third wedding anniversary and life couldn’t be better with their eight-month-old daughter, Cookie, by their side. Not only has the protagonist grown and changed (like we all do in life) but the core cast of characters have as well. Sally’s parents are still a hoot and not only is her father still blogging as Father Death but he now owns a mortuary and Sally’s mother is designing a funerary clothing line. Ms. Bruns knows how to create scenes for maximum hilarity and Knee Deep In Dough doesn’t disappoint. While some of the characters are quirky, there’s never a doubt that Sally and her family are loving, kind, and deeply supportive of each other, and never more so with this new book. I’m always tentative about a cozy mystery series where the protagonist is a mother and there’s a baby or child involved. Ms. Bruns handles the situation with sensitivity and, given the support Sally receives from her family, it put my mind at ease so I was able to sit back and enjoy the story as it unfolded.

The murder mystery starts out early and when Officer Brian Jenkins, a longtime friend of Sally’s, becomes the main suspect, she feels the need to come to his assistance. Afterall, Brian had saved Sally’s life on more than one occasion and she feels she owes him a debt. Plus, the victim was a friend of Sally’s from high school days before she moved away. As Sally begins to ask questions, it’s obvious the victim and Brian were/are hiding secrets. Uncovering the truth isn’t easy and it doesn’t take long before she’s attracted the attention of the killer. The clues are sprinkled throughout the story and with a fast-paced plot, I didn’t want to put the book down. It certainly proved to be a “just one more chapter” read until I’d finished the very last page. With a heart pounding reveal, and a couple surprising twists I didn’t see coming, Ms. Bruns has proven once again to be an accomplished storyteller!

Sally owns her cookie bakery, Sally’s Samples, and so many delectable goodies are mentioned on the pages. I had the honor of providing a recipe for the book and when I found out the season in the book was summer, I wanted to have something that was reminiscent of summertime treats from my childhood. My family made s’mores around a campfire after a long day spent hiking in the woods or on a lake boating with my cousins and the memory appealed to me. But in all honesty, the last time I had a s’more a few years ago as an adult, I was disappointed. The marshmallows were overburnt, the chocolate didn’t melt, and the graham crackers were too dry. Instead, I decided to create a S’mores Cookie Bars so that the perfect ration of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows could be had and no campfires were required. My husband took a stack of the S’mores Cookie Bars to share with his golf buddies and the overwhelming consensus was, they were one of the very best treats I’d had them taste so far!

Amazon Synopsis

For once, baker Sally Muccio’s life isn’t a recipe for disaster. She’s happy to be out celebrating her wedding anniversary… that is until she spies her friend Officer Brian Jenkins with a gorgeous blonde who is not his newlywed wife. The woman’s name is Kelsey Sherman, and it turns out she once dated Brian. Which doesn’t make Sal feel any better about the situation, but she decides to mind her own business and enjoy her evening.

Only before the night is over Kelsey is dead from a gunshot wound, and Brian is found standing over her body. To make matters worse, the bullet is confirmed to have come from his own gun. Brian swears he had nothing to do with the murder, and Sal believes him, even if the rest of the town’s convinced that he’s a total crumb. With nowhere else to turn, Brian asks for help to prove his innocence. But when the tables turn and someone tries to kill Sal as well, she might come out of this mess battered for life.

A special thanks to Catherine Bruns for providing a winner with a print copy of KNEE DEEP IN DOUGH! Contest ends Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The 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!)

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S'mores Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 (1.55-ounce) Hershy's Milk Chocolate bars, divided
• 1 (7-ounce) container marshmallow creme
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).

2. Create a foil sling for a 9-inch square baking dish. Fold 2 long sheets of foil to fit the inside of the baking dish then place them perpendicular to each other, allowing extra foil to hang over the edge of dish. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter with the granulated and brown sugars, and salt, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

4. Stir in the flour, graham cracker crumbs, and baking powder. The mixture will be crumbly.

5. Reserve 1 cup of the dough and press the remaining dough into the prepared baking dish to form the crust.

6. Cover the crust with 5 chocolate bars, breaking bars as necessary to cover evenly. (Try to leave the bars as whole as possible.) Coarsely chop the remaining chocolate bar and set aside.

7. Spray a spatula with non-stick cooking spray and use to spread the marshmallow fluff over the chocolate bars.

8. Sprinkle the marshmallow fluff with mini marshmallows and the reserved cookie dough mixture.

9. Bake for 22 - 24 minutes or until the top looks golden brown. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped chocolate bar.

10. Allow the bars to completely cool until the chocolate has set, about 4 hours. Do not refrigerate.

11. Using the foil sling, remove the S'mores Cookie Bars from the dish and place on a chopping board. Peel off the foil and cut into bars with a knife spritzed with non-stick cooking spray.

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I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Debut novel ARSENIC AND ADOBO, is the first in the new Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series by Mia P. Manansala. This cozy mystery has been highly anticipated and it delivered all it promised and more! Combining a fresh take on diversity surrounding a group of strong Filipino women and their community, the characters, particularly protagonist Lila Macapagal, makes the story come to life. Her humor is a bit snarky around the edges but it elevates the voice of the story and makes Lila more relatable. Despite the setbacks she’s experienced, (a failed relationship and her chef’s career going nowhere which necessitated the need to flee back home and move in with her aunt), Lila still has a desire to succeed. The supporting characters are just as well developed as the protagonist, and they each bring strengths to the story. Ms. Manansala uses her family to immerse the reader in the Filipino culture via several avenues. First off is the food – so many delectable dishes are mentioned and I’d advise to not read while hungry! Second is the language – there’s a glossary at the beginning but the author does an admirable job of making sure there is context provided within the story. And the familial interaction between Lila, her aunt, her grandmother, along with her honorary “calendar” aunties named so because of their birth names, April, May, and June.

The mystery sets up quickly and the pace is spot on. With Lila’s Tita Rosie’s restaurant close to bankruptcy and a landlord intent on closing her down, she decides to do everything in her power to rescue the family business even when it appears hopeless. On top of the money issues, Lila’s ex-boyfriend had been publishing nasty reviews about the restaurant, driving away what little business they had. No spoilers here, but the way the murder of her ex is set up and then takes place, adds a creative flair. Naturally Lila is the prime suspect. I liked that she’s intelligent and quite methodical about searching for clues on who else might have wanted the nasty reviewer dead. There were enough suspects to keep me guessing and Lila has some assistance in the form of her high school best friend and her attorney brother, along with the brother of the lead detective. The author’s plotline surrounding the aspects of the murder centers on a heartbreaking social issue that our nation is experiencing. I appreciated that Ms. Manansala writes with sensitivity, instead of shock value, and treats the victims with dignity. As the reveal fell into place, the threads of the plot and subplot were wrapped up succinctly, and left the reader with a hint of what’s to come in future books. I can’t wait!!

As I mentioned above, oh my goodness, the food! There are several recipes at the back of the book and I can’t wait to try them all. Numerous years ago, I worked with and became close friends with a Filipino woman. She LOVED to cook and frequently shared her homeland dishes with me and all I can say is YUM! Ms. Manansala’s recipes brought back fond memories of spending time with my friend and sharing our lives over platefuls of delicious food. While my friend tended to stick to preparing savory dishes, if you know me, you know I adore cookies and I couldn’t wait to try the recipe for Lila’s Ube Crinkles provided in the book. First off, the color of the cookies is gorgeous! None of my local markets carried ube (halaya) jam, but I managed to score some Okinawan purple sweet potatoes from a Japanese market, so I decided to use that and make the jam myself. I’ve included the recipe below. While a bit time consuming, I loved the final results and could easily eat the jam by the spoonful. There are all sorts of recipes on Pinterest that call for ube jam as well! Once the cookies were cooled, the mild, cakey texture paired well with a cup of tea, and the coating of powdered sugar added some extra sweetness. Ube Crinkles are delicious as they are unique and provide a welcome splash of color on cookie platters!

Amazon Synopsis

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer….

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

A special thanks to the publisher, Berkley, for providing a winner with a print copy of ARSENIC AND ADOBO! Contest ends Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The 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!)

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Lila's Ube Crinkles

Ube has a subtle, delicate flavor - think mild sweet potato with vanilla overtones. This simple, chewy cookie that Lila created allows that flavor (and lovely color) to shine.

Yield: 3-1/2 dozen cookies, using a medium-sized (2-3/4") scoop

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar (white granulated sugar is fine, but the brown sugar adds a little something special)
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups ube jam (halaya)
• 1 tablespoon ube flavoring (I used the McCormick Ube Flavor)
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk all the dry ingredients in a bowl - flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Cream together butter and sugar, using a mixer, until well combined. Add the eggs in, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. Add in ube jam and flavoring and mix at high speed until fully incorporated. Once the mixture is a lovely, uniform violet color, turn the speed down to low and gradually add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

5. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill for a few hours or overnight. Do not skip this step as the dough is very sticky and hard to work with while warm.

6. Using a medium-sized cookie scoop, roll the cookie dough into balls (or scoop with a spoon and shape into roughly 2-3/4" sized balls) and coat with powdered sugar.

7. Bake on lined cookie sheets at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes or until firm around the edges and slightly underdone in the center (but not doughy). Enjoy!

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Ube Jam - Halaya

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-1/4 pounds fresh ube or purple yam*
• 1 (10-ounce) can condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ube flavoring
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into small cubes

Instructions

1. Cut scrubbed fresh ube (or purple yams) into medium-sized chunks and place in a Dutch oven pot. Add enough water to fully cover the ube. Bring to a boil and cook until ube can easily be pierced with a fork. (About 30 minutes.)

2. Drain the water from the ube and allow to cool until the chunks can be easily handled without burning your hands. (About 20 minutes). While still warm, peel and discard the skins. Return the ube chunks to the Dutch oven.

3. Add the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, ube flavoring, and salt to the ube. Using an immersion blender**, puree until fairly smooth.

4. Over medium heat, stir the ube jam until it begins to thicken. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to stir constantly to prevent the ube mixture from burning and cook until mixture is quite thick (approximately 20 minutes).

5. Add half of the butter and stir until incorporated. Add the remaining butter and stir until completely incorporated.

6. Ube jam is done when the mixture does not return when you drag your spoon down the middle of your pan. It could take around 30 minutes of cooking to get to this point.

7. Transfer to glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate. The jam will continue to thicken as it chills.

Notes

1. This recipe makes approximately 3 cups of ube jam.

2. *If using frozen grated ube, use 2 packages and thaw before using. Skip instruction steps 1 -2.

3. **If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a potato masher (although the resulting jam will have small chunks) or grate the cooked ube chunks prior to adding the milks and sugar.

4. Ube jam will keep refrigerated for up to 7 days. If longer storage is desired, freeze and allow to defrost before proceeding with adding to a recipe.

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I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.