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CANDY SLAIN MURDER, the eighth book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day, finds South Lick, Indiana in the midst of holiday cheer. While not overdone to distract from the mystery, the author still conveys the sights, sounds, and tastes the season has to offer. The protagonist, Robbie Jordan, is keeping busy at her restaurant and B & B, Pans’ N Pancakes, and spending time with her boyfriend, Abe, and his teenaged son. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop in this newest book since Abe hasn’t been featured much in past installments. I also like how Robbie juggles her more than full-time job, her relationships, and trying to solve a murder without shirking her responsibilities. It makes the characters feel more authentic. The reader also learns a lot more about Danna, Robbie’s employee, along with Danna’s mother, the town’s mayor. Interwoven into the mystery is the appearance of Danna’s half-brother, someone she had no idea existed. I have always admired Ms. Day interjecting social issues into her stories, and this book is no exception. Adoption, single parenting, racism, and intolerance are addressed and woven into the fabric of the plot without slowing down the pace. I appreciate her ability to balance entertainment with social conscience.

When a woman’s body is discovered after being missing for a decade and when a new murder occurs, Robbie gets involved asking questions and listening to the folk who visit her café. Are the two murders related, even though there are ten years between the deaths? I enjoy Robbie’s methodical mind and musings over the evidence as it unfolds. It helps the reader link the clues together, and while I had a very strong suspicion (and was correct), I was intrigued to find out why. The well-plotted mystery and the engaging characters kept my attention until the very last page!

Running a popular breakfast and lunch café, Robbie is always cooking up mouthwatering dishes. As with previous books in the series, Ms. Day provides several recipes at the back of the book which all sound fantastic! I love making cookies and couldn’t resist trying the recipe for Gingerbread People. Ms. Day suggests using candy for decorating or your favorite icing, so I opted to garnish the cookies with piped royal icing for holiday cheer. These were easy to mix up and I appreciated that they require only 30 minutes of refrigeration before rolling out, so there’s not a long wait. Plus, unlike other recipes I’ve tried, this recipe makes a manageable amount… just enough for a family to indulge or enough to share with a few friends and not the entire neighborhood. The dough wasn’t overly sticky which made the cutouts manageable. Once they were baked, the sweet, spiced cookies remained soft instead of overly crunchy, which my taste testers really enjoyed. While gingerbread cookies are associated with Christmas, these yummy cookies are delicious anytime you desire a satisfying spiced cookie!

Amazon Synopsis

Christmas cheer has sent the griddle into overdrive at Robbie Jordan’s popular country store and café. And this year, there’s a new seasonal special to feast on: murder!

As December sweeps through South Lick, Indiana, Robbie’s life seems merry and bright like the string lights glistening around town. But strange happenings signal a bumpy ride into the holidays. First a man raises eyebrows at Pans ‘N Pancakes when he claiming to be the long-lost half-brother of Robbie’s assistant. Then a fire destroys the home of a controversial anesthesiologist, exposing skeletal remains in his attic. Helplessly intrigued, all Robbie wants for Christmas is to stop her winter wonderland from becoming a real nightmare. With a decades-old mystery taking shape, can she run as fast as she can in pursuit of a killer who’s harder to crack than a stale gingerbread man?

A special thanks to Maddie Day for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of CANDY SLAIN MURDER! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. 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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Gingerbread People

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3-1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• Chocolate chips or icing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the molasses.

3. Combine the dry ingredients. Add them to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with a total of 1/4 cup water.

4. Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic, and chill for at least half an hour.

5. Flour a surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with gingerbread man and woman cutters and place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet. Add chocolate chips for eyes, mouths, and buttons before baking, or leave plain to decorate later.

6. Bake for 8 minutes or until edges start to brown.

7. Cool on a wire rack. Add additional decorations if desired using your favorite icing recipe.

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THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, the fourth book in the Food Blogger Mysteries by Debra Sennefelder, is another yummy addition to a delectable series! I’m always fascinated with protagonist Hope Early, a food blogger. Not only does she immerse herself in creating delicious recipes and then styling and photographing mouthwatering images, but she’s also busy renovating her farmhouse, does freelance writing, and is set to teach a blogging class at the local library. Her energy seems boundless and it trickles into the story creating a page-turning read. Ms. Sennefelder is a former food blogger and her attention to the details of what it takes to run a success blog lends authenticity to the storyline. She includes factoids, such as there are over 30 million blogs online (I had NO idea!) along with a few tips on what it takes to set up a blog. Being a blogger myself, I was intrigued.

The mystery centers on a 20-year-old cold case involving the missing mother of Hope’s friend. Her friend, now a young woman running a true-crime podcast, is back in town with plans to investigate her mother’s disappearance herself and asks for Hope’s help. But when her friend is killed, Hope realizes she has to uncover the truth.  I admire the talent it takes to weave in an old, unsolved crime with a current day crime and Ms. Sennefelder rises to the task admirably. The clues for both murders were expertly planted without giving too much away. There is also a higher level of emotional involvement in this book based on the young mother’s disappearance that had me wanting to turn pages faster and faster until the last word was read. As the reveal unfolded, the clues that I’d missed clicked into place for a satisfying conclusion!

With Hope creating so many delectable recipes for her blog it should come as no surprise that several recipes are included at the back of the book… and they all sound amazing! I couldn’t wait to try the recipe for Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. These hearty cookies are loaded with chocolate galore along with a substantial amount of oatmeal and walnuts. This recipe makes a HUGE batch of cookies. With the limitations on friends gathering together and the inability to visit family, I halved the recipe and still had plenty to freeze some for future treats. One of my taste testers mentioned that these cookies are delicious but also seemed healthy, which in my mind means they’re perfect for breakfast!

Amazon Synopsis

Food blogger Hope Early takes on a cold case that’s heating up fast . . .

Building on her recipe for success with her food blog, Hope at Home, Hope is teaching her first blogging class at the local library in Jefferson, Connecticut. She’s also learning about podcasts, including a true-crime one called Search for the Missing, hosted by Hope’s childhood friend, Devon Markham. Twenty years ago on Valentine’s Day, right here in Jefferson, Devon’s mom disappeared and was never found. Finally Devon has returned to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother—and she asks Hope to help.

The next day Hope discovers Devon’s apartment has been ransacked. Her laptop with the research on her mother’s cold case is missing, and Devon is nowhere to be found. When her friend’s body is later discovered in a car wreck, Hope is convinced it’s no accident. Clearly, Devon was too close to the truth, and the cold-blooded killer is still at large in Jefferson. Now it’s up to Hope to find the guilty party—before the food blogger herself becomes the next subject of another true-crime podcast . . .

A special thanks to Debra Sennefelder for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Sunday, October 4, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. 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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Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Posted by Hope Early: There are times when I want all the cookies. I want the chocolate chip cookie, I want the oatmeal cookie, I want the chocolate walnut cookie. But eating three cookies-okay, I'd probably eat way more than just one of each-would be a little much and require me to up my daily running miles. So, what's a cookie lover to do? Well, if she's a food blogger, she figures out a way to have her cookies and eat them too. I give you my amazing Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. There's a lot in this cookie, and be forewarned: I advise using a heavy-duty stand mixer because there's a lot of dough. You'll get a lot of cookies, depending on how big you make your cookie mounds when you're shaping the dough. I typically freeze half the dough unless I'm baking these cookies for an event.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 24 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or chopped
• 3 cups roughly chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).

2. In stand mixer bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together, careful not to overbeat.

5. Add oats to mixture and combine.

6. Then add in chocolate chips and nuts to mixture.

7. Form dough into golf-ball-size mounds. Place two inches apart on silicone (or parchment paper) lined baking sheets. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes, until tops are just golden and cookies are still soft.

8. Cool on wire baking racks.

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GINGERDEAD MAN is the seventh book in the Five-Ingredient Mysteries by Maya Corrigan and is every bit as tasty as the previous books in the series. From the adorable holiday-themed cover to entice a reader, to the Dickens-themed holiday festival, to all the trimmings Christmas has to offer, Ms. Corrigan captured my attention. With vivid scenes described on the pages, I felt like I was there, experiencing the action right alongside the protagonist, Val Deniston. Val is a delightful character and I adore her relationship with her grandfather. Besides being family, they’re also roommates and work together to solve crimes. Granddad is one of my favorite characters in the series. Despite his age, he’s feisty and a go-getter. Not content to sit back and enjoy his golden years, Granddad snagged himself a newspaper column as The Codger Cook, despite not knowing how to cook. He’s also obtained his private investigator’s license and usually volunteers to play Santa for the annual holiday festival. Except that this year he’s been booted out from the Santa position and demoted to playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Despite his bah humbug attitude, Granddad still manages to imbue the role with some humor as he spouts off quotes from A Christmas Carol to fit a variety of situations.

When the new Santa is murdered right in front of Ebenezer Scrooge and Mrs. Clause, who’s more of a vixen than a grandmotherly type, Val and Granddad know they’ll have to sort out the clues. Ms. Corrigan sets the stage for a straightforward murder mystery but then throws in twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Granddad loves to spout off his theories, usually based on Hitchcock films, which added some humor and added to the enjoyment of watching the story unfold. There are clues to keep the sharp-eyed reader on track but, to be honest, this is one of those books I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the story. And enjoy it I did! I finished the book with a smile on my face and I’m looking forward to the next installment in this charming series!

Granddad’s Codger Cook newspaper column touts his five-ingredient recipes. While he didn’t know much about cooking when he started, Granddad has increased his knowledge and skill instead of relying on Val. As usual, Ms. Corrigan includes several five-ingredient recipes at the back of the book and they all sound fantastic. I was drawn to the recipe for Grasmere Gingerbread for several reasons. First, because I visited Grasmere many, many years ago and loved the region. While I didn’t try any gingerbread during my visit (I was enraptured with their scones and Devonshire cream!) Second, I was intrigued by this famous gingerbread. Grasmere Gingerbread also has historical significance since it was created during Dickens’ lifetime. It’s easy to imagine that he might have enjoyed this tasty treat. And last, five ingredients (6 if you use the crystalized ginger) and no rolling out for gingerbread sounded almost too good to be true… but in this case it lived up to its reputation. Sweet with a slight spicy bite of ginger from the crystalized candied ginger, the edges are crunchy and the inside of the bars are slightly chewy – the perfect balance. This is one of those recipes my husband said I didn’t need to bother finding any other taste testers because he was more than happy to eat the entire batch himself. I liked that it doesn’t make a huge amount and it is one of the quickest and easiest cookies I’ve ever made. The next time we’re in the mood for a treat that evokes the holidays, I’ll be making this again!

Amazon Synopsis

When Santa is sleighed by a poison gingerbread cookie at a holiday party, Val Deniston’s reputation is on the line . . .

This holiday season Bayport, Maryland, is a dead ringer for Victorian London. Val and her grandfather are taking part in the Dickens of a Holiday festival. Val is hosting a private tea party serving the festival’s costumed volunteers, who range from Dickens divas like Madame Defarge and Miss Havisham to Ebenezer Scrooge and old St. Nick himself.

But one costumed reveler may have gotten the holidays mixed up. The winner of the creepiest outfit, robed in black with a gift bag covering the head—okay, Ghost of Christmas Present, Val gets it—hands out gingerbread men with white icing skeleton bones. This year’s sour Santa has none of the big fellow’s mirth but plenty of his appetite, and it’s no secret Santa loves cookies. But when the man in red turns blue, Val and Granddad have a cookie-cutter killer to catch before the New Year . . .

A special thanks to Maya Corrigan for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of GINGERDEAD MAN! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. 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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Grasmere Gingerbread

To make gingerbread (or gingerdead) men, you need more than five ingredients. You also have to roll out the dough and cut the shapes. Here's a gingerbread cookie you can make with fewer ingredients and without a rolling pin. This treat is so popular in England that people travel to the small town of Grasmere in the lake district just to buy it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 10 tablespoons butter
• 1 - 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).

2. Line an oblong pan (approximately 7 x 11 x 2 inches) with parchment paper.

3. Mix the dry ingredients together.

4. Melt the butter and add it to the dry ingredients.

5. Add the chopped crystallized ginger to taste, one tablespoon if you're not sure if you like it and two if you know you do.

6. Spread the mixture over the pan in a thin layer, pressing it down lightly with your fingers or the bottom of a glass.

7. Bake 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.

8. Cut the gingerbread into bars (approximately 1 x 2 inches) while it is still hot. Leave it in the pan until it cools. Remove the gingerbread by lifting the parchment paper.

Notes

Yield: 30 - 36 bars

Adapted from English Food by Jane Grigson.

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The countdown to the release of CAKE POPPED OFF is happening now and I’m celebrating with a fun Halloween cookie recipe and giveaways!

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Cupcake caterer Emory Martinez is hosting a Halloween bash alongside her octogenarian employer, Tillie. With guests dressed in elaborate costumes, the band is rocking, the cocktails are flowing, and tempers are flaring when the hired Bavarian Barmaid tries to hook a rich, hapless husband. Except one of her targets happens to be Emory’s brother-in-law, which bodes ill for his pregnant wife. When Emory tracks down the distraught barmaid, instead of finding the young woman in tears, she finds her dead. Can she explain to the new detective on the scene why the Bavarian Barmaid was murdered in Emory’s bathtub with Emory’s Poison Apple Cake Pops stuffed into her mouth?

With an angry pregnant sister to contend with, she promises to clear her brother-in-law’s name. As Emory starts asking questions and tracking down the identity of the costumed guests, she finds reasons to suspect her brother-in-law has been hiding a guilty secret. Her search leads her to a web of blackmail and betrayal amongst the posh setting of the local country club crowd. Can Emory sift through the lies she’s being told and find the killer? She’ll need to step up her investigation before another victim is sent to the great pumpkin patch in the sky.

To celebrate the upcoming release, I’m giving away winner’s choice of either print or an e-book copy of SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION (the first in the series) plus a $10 Amazon gift card. Please use the Rafflecopter below. Unfortunately, due to shipping costs, print is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Saturday, September 19, 2020.

From the time my granddaughter was 18 months old, I’ve enjoyed introducing her to fun cookie crafts that we can do together, especially holiday-themed cookies.  I developed this recipe and design because the cookies are super easy (only 3 ingredients!) and since they whip up and bake so quickly, your ghost and ghouls can get to the fun part and start decorating… and eating these yummy Halloween Black Cat Cookies. And if you don’t want to decorate, these soft and chewy cookies are delicious on their own!

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Halloween Black Cat Chocolate Cookies

A yummy and fun Halloween decorating project for kids!

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 1 (15.25 ounce) package Devil's Food cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs

For the frosting: (or purchase your favorite pre-made chocolate frosting)

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (either natural or dutch will work)
• 2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 - 4 tablespoons milk or half-and-half

Decorating Garnishes

• Chocolate jimmies for fur
• Mini M & M candies for eyes
• Candy Corns for ears
• Licorice shoestring laces, cut into 1-1/2" pieces for whiskers
• Candy heart sprinkles, conversation hearts, mini red M & M's, or mini jelly beans for nose

Instructions

For the cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2. Add the cake mix, vegetable oil, and eggs to a large bowl and stir until well combined.

3. Roll the dough into 2-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet at least 3 inches apart.

4. Bake for 7 - 9 minutes.

5. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and allow to completely cool before frosting and decorating.

For the frosting:

1. Using an electric mixer, whip the butter until smooth (1 - 2 minutes).

2. Add the cocoa powder and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

3. On low speed, alternating, add 1/3 the confectioners' sugar to the butter mixture and beat until smooth. Add in 1 tablespoons milk (or half-and-half) then continue alternating with the remaining confectioners' sugar and milk.

4. If frosting is too thick, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until a spreadable consistency is acquired. You don't want it too thin but frosting shouldn't be so thick it won't spread on cookie. Once desired consistency is reached, beat the frosting for 1 minute.

Putting it together:

1. Working with 1 cookie at a time, spread chocolate frosting over the top of a cookie. Immediately sprinkle an outline of chocolate jimmies along the outside edge of the cookie to represent fur.

2. Position 2 upside down candy corns near the top of the cookie for the ears. Position 2 mini M & M candies for the eyes and place a dab of chocolate frosting in the center of the M & M's for the pupils, or draw using an edible marker.

3. Place either a red candy heart or a red M & M in the lower center of the cookie for the nose and add 3 short licorice shoestring laces to each side of the nose to represent whiskers.

4. Allow the frosting to set. Position cookies in a single layer on a serving platter.

5. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If necessary to stack cookies for storing, place a sheet of waxed paper between each layer.

Makes 14 - 18 cookies, depending on size

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