Christmas Sweets

by Joanne Fluke

  “Of course we won’t!” Julie reached out to give her a hug. “Mrs. Dryer made lots of dinners before she left, and she put them in the freezer for us. Dr. Caulder told me she even baked a ham for our Christmas dinner.”

  “How about Christmas cookies?” Larry wanted to know. “The ones with colored . . .”

  “. . . frosting that look like Santas, and Christmas trees, and stars and stuff,” Gary finished the description.

  “Yes,” Hope chimed in. “It won’t be Christmas without cookies.”

  “I’m sure she made those too,” Matt said, stepping up to take Julie’s arm. “Come on men. Let’s escort the ladies to the kitchen so we can find out what goodies Mrs. Dryer left for us.”

  * * *

  “Uh-oh.” Julie gave a little groan as she read the note the school cook had taped to the refrigerator.

  “What’s the matter?” Matt left the children exclaiming over the menus Mrs. Dryer had written out for them and walked over to join Julie. “Mrs. Dryer didn’t bake your favorite?”

  “Mrs. Dryer didn’t bake anyone’s favorite.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She left a note apologizing, but she barely had time to make the entrees. She ordered Christmas ice cream rolls, with little green Christmas trees in the middle, but they didn’t come.”

  “You mean . . . no desserts?”

  Julie nodded, holding up the note. “She says there’s a whole case of Jell-O in assorted flavors and some canned fruit cocktail in the pantry, but that’s it.”

  “No Christmas cookies?” Hope asked, tears threatening again.

  “Of course there’ll be Christmas cookies,” Matt assured her. “Since Mrs. Dryer didn’t have time to do it, we’ll bake them ourselves. You bake, don’t you, Miss Jansen?”

  “Actually . . . no,” Julie admitted, feeling a bit like crying herself. “I’m the world’s worst baker. I took home economics in high school. All the girls did. But the only one who could burn things faster than I could was Andrea Swensen. We were cheerleaders together at Jordan High, and they called us the Twinkie Twins.”

  “Why?”

  “Because every time they held a bake sale to raise money for the pep squad, every girl was supposed to bring something to school to sell. Andrea and I used to bring Twinkies, until her sister found out about it and then Hannah . . .” Julie stopped speaking and started to smile.

  “Why are you smiling like that?” Matt wanted to know.

  “Hannah baked like a dream, and all we had to do was tell her when the bake sales were and she’d bake for us. I can still taste her lemon meringue pie. It was just fantastic. But here’s the good part. The last time I talked to Andrea, she said Hannah was back home and she’d opened a bakery and coffee shop in Lake Eden.”

  “Lake Eden?” Matt began to smile too. “That’s only twenty miles away.”

  “Exactly. Why don’t I call and see if Hannah would bake us some desserts?”

  “Great idea!” Matt said, and the kids all nodded.

  “Okay. Then the only question is, how many desserts do we need?” Julie flipped over Mrs. Dryer’s sad little note about the absence of desserts and pulled out a pen.

  “One for every night,” Matt said.

  “Got it,” Julie said, her pen moving quickly across the paper. “Do you think we should order extra desserts, like cookies and muffins and cupcakes, for snacks? Or is that too much?”

  Matt glanced at the kids and saw the six hopeful expressions. “It’s not too much. Let’s order an even dozen.”

  If extra-wide smiles and grateful expressions could have been translated into dollars, Matt would have been a rich man. As it was, he and Julie were heroes of the day, and that pleased him much more than anything else he could think of.

  “Counting Mr. Sherwood and me, there are eight of us,” Julie went on, “and that means everyone can choose a favorite dessert. Then we’ll decide on four others together, and that’ll make twelve. We’ll have the Twelve Desserts of Christmas, almost like the song.”

  “That’s right.” Matt flashed Julie a smile that included their whole group. “We could even change the lyrics and sing it for our friends when they get back.”

  “Willie’s gonna wish he stayed here,” Spenser said, grinning widely.

  Serena nodded. “Liz too. She kept telling me about all the presents she was getting, but I bet she won’t have twelve desserts.”

  “That means we’re special,” Joy added.

  “We certainly are,” Julie confirmed it, smiling at each child in turn. “Let’s get busy so I can call Hannah. Now who wants to choose tonight’s dessert?”

  * * *

  It seemed to be the morning for running late. Twenty miles away in the little Minnesota town of Lake Eden, Hannah Swensen was almost an hour behind schedule. “I’m really sorry, Lisa,” she apologized to her partner for the fourth time since she’d dashed into the kitchen at The Cookie Jar, their bakery and coffee shop. “I really didn’t mean to saddle you with all the baking this morning.”

  “That’s okay,” Lisa said, passing a tray of Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies to Hannah. “Herb gave me a ride to town this morning in his squad car, so I got here early. Mayor Bascomb asked him to figure out how many tickets he gave for speeding in the school zone in front of Jordan High.”

  “Why does Mayor Bascomb need to know that?” Hannah asked, placing the pan of baked cookies on the baker’s rack.

  “The city council’s voting on speed bumps this morning and the mayor wants to prove that we need them.”

  “Do you know what they call speed bumps in the Bahamas?” Hannah asked, turning to face her partner.

  “No, what?”

  “Sleeping policemen.” Hannah delivered the information and then stared hard at her partner. Either Lisa had developed a facial tick or she was doing her utmost to stifle a laugh. “You think sleeping policemen is funny?”

  Lisa shook her head. “It’s more cute than funny.”

  “Then why are you trying so hard not to laugh?”

  “It’s your hair. It’s poking up out of your cap again.”

  “Just call me Medusa.” Hannah gave an exasperated sigh and tucked her unruly red curls back under her health board mandated cap. “The phone started ringing while I was washing it and I didn’t get a chance to put on the conditioner. What do we have left to bake?”

  “Just the Cherry Winks and we’re through.”

  “Right. I’ll get the cherries.” Hannah headed off to the pantry to fetch the essential ingredient for the cookies her customers loved at the holidays. “Do you think it’s too early to do half red and half green?”

  “I don’t think so. Almost everyone is already decorated for Christmas. Gil Surma put his lights up over three weeks ago.”

  “Gil and Bonnie are always early. They want everything to look nice for their Christmas parties.”

  Lisa glanced at the calendar that hung on the wall by the phone and saw the three new entries that Hannah had made. “Bonnie called you to set dates for the parties?”

  “That’s right. We’re catering everything, just like last year.”

  “She gave you the order for her Brownies?”

  “Yes. And yes.”

  Lisa looked a bit confused. “Why did you say two yeses?”

  “She wants brownies for her Brownies.”

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense. Let’s make them in bon-bon papers the way my mother used to do. Then I can frost them and put half a pecan on each one.”

  “The girls would love that, but are you sure you want to go to so much work?”

  “I’m sure.” Lisa glanced at the calendar again. “What does she want for the Cub Scout party?”

  “Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies. But the party’s not just for the Cub Scouts. It’s one huge party for the Boy Scouts and the Cub Scouts together, and it’s going to last all afternoon.”

  “That’s nice. I’ll do the scout logo in frosting on the sugar cookies. The
boys really like that. How about the Girl Scouts?”

  “Bonnie’s driving them to the mall so they can shop for their parents. Then they’re going back to her house for hot chocolate and Cinnamon Crisps.”

  Lisa glanced at the calendar again. “I can help you cater the Girl Scout party. Herb’s got bowling league that night.”

  “Great.” Hannah smiled at her young partner. Lisa had more energy than anyone she’d ever met. Of course age might have something to do with it. She had just turned twenty, and Hannah was a decade and a bit past that. Not that she wanted to think about age, especially when her biological clock was ticking and her mother delighted in reminding her that she didn’t have many childbearing years left. And now it was almost Christmas, and everyone was talking about families and kids.

  Hannah’s smile took a wistful turn. Soon her newest niece, Bethany, would be old enough to give her that wonderful wide baby grin and reach up to pat her face. Babies were delightful with their chubby little hands, their squeals of utter delight when you tickled them, and their warm, sweet scent.

  “What?” Lisa asked, noticing that Hannah had stopped at the pantry door and was staring at the wall.

  “Oh! Uh . . . nothing. I was just thinking, that’s all.”

  “Don’t forget to save the red cherry juice for the dough,” Lisa reminded her as Hannah got out the cherries. “Green juice makes them look really yucky.”

  “Yucky’s not good in a bakery,” Hannah said, heading back to the workstation. “People want things to taste good, but they also like . . .” She stopped abruptly and turned to eye the phone on the wall as it began to ring. “Mother!” she said with the same inflection she would have voiced if she’d slid off the road into a ditch. It wasn’t that she disliked her mother. It was just that Delores had already called her three times this morning.

  “You’re sure it’s your mother?”

  “I’m sure. Nobody places orders this early and we don’t open for another forty-five minutes. Who else could it be?”

  “But I thought your mother called you at home and that’s why you were late.”

  “She did.”

  “I see. But she has to call again because she’s got something she forgot to tell you?”

  “You got it.” Hannah turned to eye her partner suspiciously. “Has my mother been calling you too?”

  “No, Marge has.”

  Hannah was amazed. She’d always thought calling back several times was a trait unique to her mother. “Marge does that too?”

  “Yes, but I don’t mind. Marge is the best mother-in-law in the world.”

  Warning lights flashed in Hannah’s logical mind. “Hold on. You can’t make that kind of a value judgment without a standard of comparison.”

  “Sure I can.” Lisa waved away her breech of logic. “I’m perfectly happy married to Herb, and there’s no way I’m ever going to get another standard of comparison. That means this is it and Marge is the best mother-in-law in the world.” Lisa stopped speaking and turned toward the ringing phone. “Are you going to get that, or do you want me to?”

  “Will you?” Hannah asked, heading for the workstation. She’d have to talk to her mother eventually, but at least she could get in another sip of coffee before she had to do it.

  “The Cookie Jar. Lisa speaking.” Hannah watched as her partner grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. “Of course we can. We just baked a big batch of Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies and we’ll put them away for you. But . . . if you don’t mind me asking . . . why do you need twelve dozen chocolate chip cookies?” There was a silence and then Lisa shrugged “Okay. We’ll package them up for you right now.”

  “Who was that?” Hannah asked when her partner had hung up the phone.

  “Your sister.”

  “Andrea?” Hannah guessed, and she wasn’t surprised when Lisa nodded. Hannah’s youngest sister, Michelle, was knee deep in final exams at Macalister College in Minneapolis. “What did Andrea say when you asked her why she needed twelve dozen cookies?”

  “She told me it was a crisis and the whole thing was just awful.”

  “What whole thing?”

  “I don’t know. She said she was driving right over and she’d tell us all about it when she got here.”

  CHOCOLATE CHIP CRUNCH COOKIES

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

  1 cup butter (2 sticks, ½ pound)

  1 cup white (granulated) sugar

  1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup)

  2 teaspoons baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  2 beaten eggs (you can just beat them up in a cup

  with a fork)

  2½ cups flour (not sifted—pack it down in the

  measuring cup)

  2 cups cornflakes

  1 to 2 cups chocolate chips

  Melt the butter, add the sugars, and stir them all together in a large mixing bowl. Add the soda, salt, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Then add the flour and stir it in. Measure out the cornflakes and crush them with your hands. Then add them to your bowl and mix everything thoroughly.

  Let the dough set on the counter for a minute or two to rest. (It doesn’t really need to rest, but you probably do.)

  Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your fingers and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (I used Pam to grease my cookie sheets.) Press the dough balls down just a bit with your impeccably clean hand so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack until they’re completely cool. (The rack is important—it makes them crisp.)

  Yield: approximately 6 to 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.

  Hannah’s Note: If your cookies spread out too much in the oven, either chill it in the refrigerator before baking, or turn out the dough on a floured board and knead in approximately ⅓ cup more flour.

  BON-BON BROWNIES

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

  1 cup butter (2 sticks, ½ pound)

  4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (for a

  total of 4 ounces)

  4 beaten eggs (you can just beat them up in a

  glass with a fork)

  2 cups white (granulated) sugar

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1 cup flour (don’t sift—pack it down in the cup)

  1 cup chopped pecans (walnuts will work also)

  Paper mini-muffin cupliners (mine were marked

  1 inches on the package)

  Put the butter and the baking chocolate in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl and heat it on HIGH for 2 minutes. Stir to see if it’s melted. If it isn’t, microwave it in 20-second intervals until it is. Set the bowl on the counter to cool to room temperature.

  Beat the eggs. Add them to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir until they’re thoroughly incorporated. Then add the sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour in two half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Stir in the chopped pecans.

  Set out paper cups (I use double papers) on a cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet, and spoon in the brownie dough until they’re ⅔ full. (Don’t use mini-muffin pans—you need the papers to spread out a little as they bake.) Bake them at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool them by placing the cookie sheet on a wire rack.

  When the brownies are completely cool, count out one pecan half to top every brownie and make the Milk Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

  Milk Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

  2 cups milk chocolate chips (a 12-ounce package)

  One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

  If you use a double boiler for this frosting, it’s foolproof. You can also make it in a heavy saucepan over low t
o medium heat on the stovetop, but you’ll have to stir it constantly with a spatula to keep it from scorching.

  Fill the bottom part of the double boiler with water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the underside of the top.

  Put the chocolate chips in the top of the double boiler and set it over the bottom. Place the double boiler on the stovetop at medium heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate chips are melted.

  Stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk and cook approximately 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the frosting is shiny and of spreading consistency.

  Spread the frosting on the Bon-Bon Brownies, mounding it up nicely in the middle.

  Place a half-pecan on top of each brownie before the frosting is set.

  Give the frosting pan to your favorite person to scrape.

  Leave the Bon-Bon Brownies on a cookie sheet, uncovered, until the frosting is dry to the touch. This should take about 25 minutes or so. (If you’re in a real hurry, put the brownies in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening process.)

  Yield: Makes approximately 6 dozen attractive little brownies.

  Hannah’s Note: If you have any frosting left over, place it in a small container, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it. The next time you have ice cream, just heat the frosting in the microwave and spoon it over the top for a terrific milk chocolate fudge sauce.

  Chapter Two

  “Oh my!” Lisa gasped, staring at Andrea in shock. “That’s just too sad for words.”

  “I know. I practically cried when Julie told me.” Andrea settled herself on a stool at the workstation. She was wearing a soft rose-colored suit under a white fur jacket. Her shining blond hair was swept up in an elaborate twist, and the white fur hat that was perched on her head was far too small and dainty to protect her from the cold. Hannah glanced down at her own jeans and logo sweatshirt and quelled a small stab of jealousy. Her younger sister always dressed like a fashion model, and looked like one too.