Natalie’s Famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chippers
11⁄2 cups plus 4 tablespoons flour
1⁄2 cup oat flour (or oatmeal pulsed in food processor
until finely ground)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened until almost melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
Mix flour, oat flour, baking soda, and salt together with a fork. Add sugars, eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets (place dough about 3 inches apart) and bake at 375° for 8–10 minutes. (For chewier cookies, refrigerate dough first: cooking time might be slightly longer.)
Cranberry Island Blackout Brownies
6 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
11⁄2 cups butter, separated
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11⁄2 cups flour
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Melt chocolate with 3⁄4 cup butter and salt. Beat remaining 3⁄4 cup butter in an electric mixer until soft, gradually adding sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix. Add melted chocolate. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Mix in nuts (optional). Turn the batter into a greased and floured 9”x13” pan and bake at 350° for 35–45 minutes. Let cool and frost with Fudgy Frosting.
Fudgy Frosting
11⁄2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
11⁄2 cups sugar
1 pinch salt
3⁄4 cup heavy cream
11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Melt chocolate in double boiler with sugar, salt, and cream. (Do not overstir, as it may cause fudge to sugar.) Cook to soft-ball stage and transfer to bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium speed until it has cooled. Add vanilla. Beat until it loses its sheen and becomes thick. Frost cooled brownies.
Killer Cranberry Scones
3 cups flour
2⁄3 cup sugar
21⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup firm butter, cut in small pieces
3⁄4 cup cranberries, chopped if desired
3⁄4 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel
1 cup buttermilk
Topping
2 tablespoons coarse sugar
1 tablespoon milk (approximately)
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a fork. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in cranberries, walnuts, and orange peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk. Stir the mixture with a fork until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. With your hands, gather the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured board. Roll or pat into a 1⁄2-inch thick square. Cut into 21⁄2 inch circles (use a cookie cutter or an empty can) and place 11⁄2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Combine cinnamon and sugar. Brush scones lightly with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 18 scones.
Buttery Belgian Breakfast Waffles
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Beat egg yolks until very light. Add vanilla and butter. Combine flour, salt, and sugar and add with milk to egg mixture, alternating. Beat well. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter gently. Spray Belgian waffle iron with cooking spray and bake until golden. Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, sliced berries, and Chantilly Cream.
Chantilly Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until satiny.
Gray Whale Inn Blueberry Compote
11⁄2 cups blueberries
1⁄4 cup maple syrup
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch (dissolved in a small amount of cold water)
Bring blueberries and syrup to a simmer and cook until blueberries are hot and bubbly. Add lemon juice and vanilla and simmer a moment longer. Stir in cornstarch. Serve warm over pancakes, French toast, waffles, or even ice cream.
About the Author
Although Murder on the Rocks is Karen MacInerney’s first novel, she has been writing ever since she could pick up a pen. She has whiled away many of her summers on small islands in Maine and Newfoundland. Currently her home is Austin, Texas, where she is a full-time writer as well as mother of two.
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