Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook

by Joanne Fluke

  Let the dough firm up for a few moments. Then divide each different COLOR into four parts so you have sixteen lumps of dough in all. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on your counter and roll each lump into a dough rope with your hands (just as if you were making bread sticks). The sixteen dough ropes should each be about 12 inches long.

  To assemble, stack four dough ropes of different colors, two on the bottom, two on the top, near the edge of the plastic wrap. Squeeze them together a bit and push in the ends so they’re even. Flip the bottom edge of the plastic wrap over the top and roll them up together tightly in one multi-colored roll. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap, fold them over on top of the roll, and refrigerate the rolls as you make them. When you’re all finished, you’ll should have four rolls of multi-colored cookie dough, wrapped and chilling in your refrigerator.

  Let the dough chill for at least an hour (overnight is fine, too). When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  Grease (or spray with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray) a standard-sized cookie sheet. Place the bowl with the half cup white sugar next to your cookie sheets.

  Take out one dough roll, unwrap it, and slice it into half inch thick rounds. (Each dough roll should make about 24 cookies.) Place each round into the bowl of sugar and flip it over so it coats both sides. Position the sugar-coated rounds on the baking sheet. Don’t place more than 12 cookies on each sheet. Return the unused dough to the refrigerator until you’re ready to slice more cookies.

  Bake the cookies at 325 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes, just until they begin to turn slightly golden around the edges. Cool them on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

  These cookies freeze very well if you stack them in a roll, wrap them in foil, and place the foil rolls in a freezer bag that you put in the freezer. You can also freeze the multi-colored unbaked dough rolls by leaving them in the plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer bag in the freezer.

  Yield: Approximately 8 dozen pretty party cookies.

  PEANUT BUTTER & JAM COOKIES (PBJS)

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

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

  2 cups brown sugar (firmly packed)

  ½ cup white (granulated) sugar

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 cup peanut butter

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

  ½ cup chopped salted peanuts (measure AFTER chopping)

  3 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down when you measure it)

  approximately ½ cup fruit jam (your choice of fruit)

  Microwave the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl for approximately 90 seconds on HIGH to melt it. Mix in the brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until they’re thoroughly blended.

  Measure out the peanut butter. (I spray the inside of my measuring cup with Pam so it won’t stick.) Add it to the bowl and mix it in. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir it all up. Add the chopped salted peanuts and mix until they’re incorporated.

  Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each ingredient. Mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

  Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean hands and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. (If the dough is too sticky to form into balls, chill it for an hour or so, and then try again.)

  Make an indentation in the center of the dough balls with your thumb. Spoon in a bit of jam, making sure it doesn’t run over the sides of the cookies.

  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are just beginning to turn golden. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  Yield: Approximately 7 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.

  Hannah’s Note: If you happen to run out of fruit jam and you have cookies left to fill, put a few chocolate chips in the indentation. You’ll have to call those cookies PBCs, and they’re wonderful!

  Tracey likes her PBJs with strawberry jam, Andrea prefers apricot, Bill’s wild about blueberry, and Mother loves them with peach. I prefer to eat one of each, just to test them, of course.

  PEANUT BUTTER MELTS

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

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

  2 cups white (granulated) sugar52

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  cup molasses (2 Tablespoons)

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 cup peanut butter (either smooth or crunchy, your choice)

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

  2 and ½ cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down when you

  measure it)

  Microwave the butter in your microwave-safe mixing bowl to melt it. Add the sugar, the vanilla extract, and the molasses. Stir until the mixture is thoroughly blended, then add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

  Measure out the peanut butter. (I spray the inside of my measuring cup with Pam so it won’t stick.) Add it to the bowl and mix it in. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir until they’re incorporated.

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

  Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean fingers and arrange them on a cookie sheet that’s been greased, sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or covered with parchment paper. Place 12 cookies on a standard-size sheet. (If the dough is too sticky to form into balls, chill it for 20 or 30 minutes and then try again.)

  Flatten the balls with a fork in a crisscross pattern. (If the fork sticks, either spray it with Pam or dip it in flour.)

  Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  Yield: 4 to 5 dozen delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.

  Hannah’s Note: Bill’s favorite PBJ snack is to spread jam on one cookie and stack another cookie on top. Mother likes PBFs better (that’s fudge frosting between the cookie layers.)

  PECAN CHEWS

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

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

  3 cups brown sugar

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

  1 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  3 teaspoons vanilla

  2 cups finely chopped pecans

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

  Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

  Add the beaten eggs and mix until they’re thoroughly combined.

  Mix in the salt, baking soda, vanilla extract, and pecans. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.

  Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Continue mixing until the flour is thoroughly distributed.

  Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean fingers. Place the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (You can also spray the cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper.) Press the dough balls down with the back of a metal spatula.

  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes.

  Let the cookies set up on sheet for 2 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  Hannah’s Note: There’s no need to keep brown sugar in stock. It can be easily made with white sugar and molasses, 1/8 cup molasses for every 3 cups of white sugar
. (That’s how they manufacture it, really. And it’ll save you from having to deal with all those lumps.) Just add the molasses to the white sugar and stir until it is thoroughly and evenly mixed. there’s no problem if your recipe calls for dark brown sugar, or light brown sugar. Just mix in molasses until it’s the right color.

  Yield: 8 to 10 dozen, depending on cookie size.

  PECAN DIVINES (ANDREA’S FAVORITES)

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

  2 cups melted butter (4 sticks, one pound)

  3 cups white sugar

  1 and ½ cups brown sugar

  4 teaspoons vanilla extract

  2 teaspoons baking soda

  2 teaspoons salt

  4 beaten eggs

  5 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup when you

  measure it)

  3 cups chocolate chips

  4 cups chopped pecans

  Melt the butter. (Microwave it for 3 minutes on HIGH in a microwave-safe container, or in a saucepan on the stove.) Mix in the white sugar and the brown sugar. Add the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

  Feel the bowl. If it’s not so hot the mixture will cook the eggs, add them now. Stir thoroughly.

  Add half of the flour, the chocolate chips, and the chopped pecans. Stir well to incorporate. Then add the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly.

  Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. You can also spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray or line them with parchment paper. (If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes and try again.)

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

  Let the cookies cool 2 minutes, then remove them from the baking sheet with a metal spatula, and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  Yield: Approximately 10 dozen.

  Hannah’s Note: These are Andrea’s very favorite cookies. She says they’re the best cookies she’s ever tasted and I saved her life by baking them.

  PINEAPPLE DELIGHTS

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

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

  2 cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you

  measure it)

  2 cups white (granulated) sugar

  4 eggs – beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 teaspoons pineapple extract (if you can’t find it, you can

  use vanilla)

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

  2 and ½ cups chopped, sweetened, dried pineapple

  (measure AFTER chopping – if you can’t find pineapple,

  you can substitute any dried fruit chopped in chocolate-

  chip-sized pieces).

  ½ cup chopped coconut flakes (measure AFTER chopping)

  3 cups rolled oats (uncooked oatmeal – I used Quaker

  Quick-1 Minute in the round paper container that you

  save, but you don’t know why)

  Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. (About 3 minutes on HIGH.) Add the sugars and let it cool to room temperature.

  When the mixture is not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add the beaten eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pineapple extract, mixing after each addition.

  Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Then add the chopped pineapple, chopped coconut, and rolled oats, mixing them in thoroughly. The resulting dough will be quite stiff.

  Drop by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. (I form mine into a ball so the cookies turn out nice and round.)

  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

  Hannah’s Note: These cookies freeze really well if you roll them in foil and put them in a freezer bag.

  Yield: Approximately 10 dozen, depending on cookie size.

  PRALINE CHARLOTTES

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

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

  1 and ½ cups brown sugar

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt (decrease to ½ teaspoon if you use salted

  pecans)

  1 and ½ cups finely ground pecans (grind them up in your

  food processor with the steel blade and measure

  AFTER grinding)

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

  3 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down in the cup when you

  measure it)

  Microwave the butter in a microwave-safe bowl to melt it. Add the sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until blended, and then add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

  Add the finely ground pecans to the bowl and mix them in.

  Pour in the beaten eggs and stir until everything is thoroughly blended.

  Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Continue to mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

  Let the dough sit for 10 minutes to firm up. Then form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean fingers, and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 dough balls for each standard sheet. (You can also spray the cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper.)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: If the dough is too sticky to form into balls, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes and then try again.

  Flatten the dough balls with a fork in a crisscross pattern. (If the fork sticks, either spray it with Pam or dip it in flour.)

  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Cool them on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling. When they’re cool, prepare the frosting.

  PRALINE FROSTING:

  ¾ cup butter (one and a half sticks)

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla

  extract and ½ teaspoon of maple extract)

  3 and ½ cups powdered sugar (not sifted)

  cup cream

  ½ cup finely chopped pecans

  approximately 6 dozen pecan halves for decoration (optional)

  Before you start, arrange the cooled cookies on racks or on sheets of wax paper. Then heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns a medium shade of brown (the color of peanut butter). Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract (and the maple flavoring if you use it). Blend in the powdered sugar, the cream, and the finely chopped pecans. Stir the frosting with a spoon until it’s well mixed, but don’t let it cool completely.

  Frost the cookies and place a pecan half (optional) on top of each cookie for decoration. (Frosting these cookies is like spreading butter and you don’t have to spread it all the way out to the edges.) If your frosting hardens before you’re through, scrape it into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 30 seconds to 1 minute on HIGH in the microwave to soften it so that you can spread it again.

  Let the finished cookies rest on racks or on wax paper until the frosting has hardened for at least an hour. Then store the cookies in a cookie jar or other closed container.

  Yield: Approximately 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: These cookies, unfrosted, make a delicious “tea” cookie with a light, delicate flavor. The only changes you have to make are: roll the dough balls smaller and press them down with the heel of your impeccably clean hand. Bake them for about 8 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden. They’re EXCELLENT with hot chocolate.

  RAISIN DROPS

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

  Jo Fluke’s Note: This recipe is from my good friend, Lois Brown.

  1 and ½ cups raisins (I’ve used regular raisins, and also

  golden raisins – they’re both good.)

  1 and ½ cups water (right out of the tap is fine)

  3 and ½ cups all purpose flour (don’t sift – just scoop it

  out and level it off with a knife)

  1 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

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

  1 and ½ cups white (granulated) sugar

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

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  ½ cup white (granulated) in a small bowl to coat the dough balls

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Hank, the bartender down at the Lake Eden Municipal Liquor Store, suggested that you could soften the raisins in brandy or rum, instead of water. (I used water.)

  Put the raisins and the water in an uncovered saucepan. Simmer them on the stove until all the water is absorbed. (This took me about 20 minutes.)

  Move the saucepan to a cold burner, or place it on a potholder on your counter, and cool the raisins for 30 minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can speed up this cooling process by sticking the pan in the refrigerator until the raisins are approximately room temperature.)