Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook

by Joanne Fluke

  Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then give the mixture a final stir by hand. The resulting cookie dough should be fluffy, but not at all stiff like sugar cookie or chocolate chip cookie dough. Let the bowl sit on the counter while you. . .

  Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. It’s the easiest way to bake these cookies. If you don’t have parchment paper and you really don’t want to go out to get any, grease your cookie sheets heavily, or spray them thoroughly with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

  If you haven’t already done so, crush the corn flakes and measure out one cup. Place the finely crushed corn flakes in a shallow bowl. This is what you’ll use to coat the outside of your Lemon Softie dough balls.

  Using a teaspoon (not the measuring kind, but one from your silverware drawer), drop a rounded teaspoon of cookie dough into the crushed corn flakes. Use your fingers and a light touch to form it into a ball. Lift the ball gently and place it on your baking sheet. Continue to form dough balls covered with crushed corn flakes, 12 to a standard-size cookie sheet. Top each dough ball with a maraschino cherry half (rounded side up) or a walnut or pecan half, and press it down gently.

  Bake your Lemon Softies at 375 degrees F., for 12 minutes. Take them out of the oven and slide the cookie-laden parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. If you used greased cookie sheets, you’re going to have to let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack with a metal spatula. Let the cookies cool completely before you attempt to remove them from the wire rack.

  Yield: Approximately 4 to 5 dozen soft and moist cookies, depending on cookie size.

  LISA’S WHITE CHOCOLATE SUPREMES

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

  1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)

  ¾ cup white (granulated) sugar

  ¾ cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you

  measure it)

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  2 eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

  2 and ¼ cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup

  when you measure it)

  2 cups white chocolate chips (I used an 11-ounce package)

  1 and ½ cups chopped macadamia nuts (measure BEFORE

  chopping)

  Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

  Mix in the white sugar and the brown sugar, beating until the resulting mixture reaches a smooth texture and is a uniform color.

  Stir in the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

  Feel the sides of the bowl. If it’s not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them now. Mix thoroughly.

  Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each cup.

  Add the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts to your bowl and mix thoroughly.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Macadamia nuts are expensive. Feel free to substitute pecans in this recipe.

  Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto an UNGREASED cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (You can also line your cookie sheets with parchment paper if you wish.)

  Bake at 350 F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned.

  Take the cookies out of the oven. Let them cool for 2 minutes, then remove them from the baking sheet and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: Lisa developed this recipe, and it’s just like they say in the potato chip commercials — you can’t eat just one.

  LITTLE SNOWBALLS

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

  1 and ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)

  ¾ cup powdered sugar (that’s confectioner’s sugar)

  1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla

  ½ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground is best)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  3 and ½ cups flour (no need to sift)

  1 cup finely chopped nuts 47

  More powdered sugar for coating cookies

  Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 60 seconds on HIGH, or in a pan on the stovetop over MEDIUM heat.

  In a large mixing bowl, mix the melted butter and the powdered sugar together.

  Add the vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well.

  Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.

  Stir in the nuts. (If you work quickly, while the butter is still warm, the dough will be softer and easier to mix.)

  Form the dough into one-inch balls (just pat them into shape with your impeccably clean fingers), and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet.

  Bake the Little Snowballs at 350 degrees F., for 10 minutes, or until they are “set” (that means no longer squishy) but not browned.

  Let the cookies cool for two minutes and then roll them in powdered sugar. (You must do this while they’re still warm.) Place them on a wire rack and let them cool thoroughly.

  When the cookies are cool, roll them in powdered sugar a second time. Let them rest for several minutes on the rack and then store them in a cookie jar or a covered bowl.

  MERRY BERRY COOKIES

  DO NOT preheat the oven – this cookie dough has to chill before baking.

  1 and ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)

  2 cups white (granulated) sugar

  ½ cup melted raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or any

  berry jam (I used Knott’s seedless raspberry)

  2 beaten eggs

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt

  4 cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure –

  don’t sift it)

  cup white (granulated) sugar for later

  cup berry jam for later

  Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the white sugar and mix it in thoroughly. Let the bowl sit on the counter while you do the next step.

  Melt the jam in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat. Once it’s the consistency of syrup, mix it in with the butter and sugar.

  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

  Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir until they’re thoroughly incorporated.

  Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Give a final stir, cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. (Overnight’s even better.)

  When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  Place cup sugar in a small bowl on the counter. You’ll use it to coat your cookies.

  Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean hands. Roll the balls in the bowl with the sugar, and then place them on a greased standard-sized cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a sheet. (Alternatively, you can spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray instead of greasing them, or simply line them with parchment paper.)

  Flatten the dough balls with a greased spatula. Make a small indentation with your thumb or index finger in the center of each cookie. Fill the indentation with a small bit of jam (about teaspoon.)

  Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. (If you used parchment paper, all you have to do is pull the cookie-laden paper onto the wire rack.)

  These cookies freeze well. Roll them up in foil, put them in a freezer bag. You may want to be sneaky about labeling the cookies or the kids will find them and eat them frozen. (If you write “Pork Kidneys” on the freezer bag, the kids will probably leave them alone.)

  Yield: 8 to 10 dozen pretty and tasty cookies, depending on cookie size.

  *MINCEMEAT COOKIES

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

  1 and ¼ cups wh
ite (granulated) sugar

  1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound) salted butter, softened

  3 large eggs

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 and ½ cups mincemeat (I used Crosse & Blackwell

  Mincemeat Filling & Topping)

  3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you

  measure it)

  4 to 5 dozen walnut halves

  OR

  ¾ cup vanilla cream glaze (glaze recipe follows the cookie

  recipe)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: If you decide to use the Vanilla Cream Glaze instead of the half walnuts on top of your cookies, make the glaze first. If you want to decorate your cookies with the half-walnuts instead of the glaze, read on...

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: Unless you have a very strong stirring arm, use an electric mixer to make this cookie dough.

  Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.

  Place the butter, which must be softened to room temperature, on top of the sugar.

  Turn the mixer to LOW and mix for one minute. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently and beating for one minute at each level, until you arrive at the highest speed.

  Beat at the highest speed for at least 2 minutes or until the resulting mixture is very light and fluffy.

  Turn the mixer down to LOW and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then add the salt. When that’s mixed in, add the baking soda and mix until it’s incorporated.

  Measure out a cup and a half of mincemeat. Turn the mixer on LOW speed and add the mincemeat to your bowl.

  Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Give the mixture a final stir by hand. (The resulting cookie dough should be fluffy, but not at all stiff like sugar cookie or chocolate chip cookie dough.)

  Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. It’s the easiest way to bake these cookies. If you don’t have parchment paper and you really don’t want to go out to get any, grease your cookie sheets heavily, or spray them thoroughly with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

  Using a teaspoon (not the measuring kind, but one from your silverware drawer), drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough on your baking sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. If you are NOT going to glaze these cookies with Vanilla Cream Glaze (recipe follows below), top each cookie with a half-walnut, pressing it down slightly.

  Bake your Mincemeat Cookies at 375 degrees F., for 12 minutes. Take the cookies out of the oven and slide the cookie-laden parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. (If you used greased cookie sheets, you’re going to have to let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack with a metal spatula.)

  Yield: Approximately 4 to 5 dozen tasty and attractive cookies.

  *VANILLA CREAM GLAZE

  1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

  ¼ cup less 1 Tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream

  3 cups powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

  Place 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract into a quarter-cup measuring cup.

  Fill the quarter-cup measuring cup with heavy cream and set it on the counter.

  Measure 3 cups powdered sugar and place them in a small bowl. Do not pack it down in the cup when you measure it, but do level the top off with a table knife.

  Whisk the vanilla and cream into the bowl with the powered sugar until it’s well blended.

  Cover the glaze with plastic wrap and set it aside to wait for the cookies to be baked. Then brush the warm cookies with the glaze and let them cool completely.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: If there’s any glaze left over, add a little more powdered sugar and mix it until it’s of frosting consistency. Let the kids spread it on graham crackers or soda crackers (salt side down) for a special treat.

  Yield: Approximately ¾ cup glaze.

  *MINTY MARVELS

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

  2 cups (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound) salted butter, softened

  1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar (pack it down in the

  cup when you measure it)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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

  ½ cup finely chopped pecans (chop them until they’re

  almost powdery)

  4 cups all-purpose flour (scoop it up in the measuring cup

  and then level off the top with a table knife)

  8 dozen Junior Mints (approximately 6 small boxes)

  1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar (don’t pack it down

  this time around)

  1 Tablespoon red decorating sugar

  1 Tablespoon green decorating sugar

  Hannah’s 1st Note: I used an electric mixer when I made these. The dough has to be very well mixed.

  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the softened butter, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix it on MEDIUM speed until it’s light and fluffy.

  Turn the mixer down to LOW speed and add the egg and the pecans. Mix well.

  When the pecans are incorporated, add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and mix a bit more.

  Take the bowl out of the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, and set it aside on the counter.

  With your fingers, shape a Tablespoonful of cookie dough into a ball around one Junior Mint.

  Place the dough balls at least 1 inch apart on an ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Press them down slightly so that they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

  Bake the dough balls at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are “set” and the bottoms are just beginning to turn golden. (To judge this, you’ll have to open the oven and lift one cookie up just a bit to see.)

  While your cookies are baking, place the powdered sugar, red decorating sugar, and green decorating sugar in a small bowl. Mix it all up with a fork. You want the colored sugars to be as evenly distributed as possible.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you’d like these cookies to really sparkle with color, use colored decorating sugar with large sugar crystals. It’s available in grocery stores during the holiday season and you can also find it in some cake decorating stores.

  Let your cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then move them to a wire rack. (This is easy if you’ve used parchment paper – just pull it off the sheet and onto the rack.)

  While they’re still hot, roll the cookies in the bowl of sugars, one at a time, and then place them back on the wire rack or back on the parchment paper if you’ve used it. Don’t worry if the powdered sugar soaks into the cookie in some spots. You’re going to roll them in the sugars again after they’ve cooled completely.

  Once the Minty Marvels have cooled approximately 25 minutes, roll them in the sugar a second time.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: These cookies freeze well. Just let them thaw at room temperature and then roll them in a bowl with the sugars again to refresh the pretty sugar coating.

  Yield: Approximately 8 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.

  MOCK TURTLES

  DO NOT preheat oven – dough must chill before baking.

  1 and ½ sticks chilled butter (¾ cup, 6 ounces)

  2 cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  ¾ cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ cup chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet)

  1 egg

  approximately 3 dozen Kraft Caramels (the soft kind that are

  individually wrapped – they’re about a half-inch square)

  Cut the butter into 12 pieces and place them in a work bowl. With two forks, mix in the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Continue mixing until the dough is crumbly.

&nbs
p; Hannah’s 1st Note: You can also do this in a food processor with the steel blade, the same way you’d mix pie crust. It’s a lot easier that way.

  Melt the chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl (I use a glass measuring cup) for 40 seconds on HIGH. Stir them to see if they’re melted. (Chocolate chips may maintain their shape until they’re stirred.) If they’re not melted, microwave them in 20-second intervals until they are.

  Add the melted chips to the dough mixture. Stir (or process, if you’ve used a food processor) until the chocolate is mixed in and the crumbly dough is a uniform color. Beat the egg in a small cup or bowl and add it to the work bowl. Mix it in (or process with the steel blade) until a soft, piecrust-type dough results.

  Divide the dough into four equal parts. Tear off four pieces of wax paper about a foot and a half long. You’ll use these to hold your dough when you roll it out. Turn a piece of wax paper so that the long side faces you and place one piece of dough in the center. Using your hands, roll the dough into a log that’s approximately 12 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Do the same for the three remaining pieces of dough.

  Wrap the rolls in the wax paper you used to roll them and put them into a freezer bag. Freeze them for an hour or two until firm. (Overnight is fine, too.)

  When you’re ready to bake, take out the dough and let it warm up on the counter for fifteen minutes. Then preheat the oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.