Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18)
Page 8
Quickly fill a bag with the white sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon (if you decided to use it). You must coat your doughnuts while they are still warm so that the coating will stick.
Shake the bag to mix the ingredients and then place the warm doughnuts, one at a time, in the bag and shake them in the sugar/cocoa/cinnamon mixture. Then take them out and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
Alternatively, you can coat your doughnuts with chocolate icing, but you must let them cool completely. If you try to frost warm doughnuts, the icing will slide off. (I know. I tried it!)
Chocolate Icing:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6-ounce package)
2 Tablespoons salted butter
2 Tablespoons cream
In a microwave-safe bowl that’s large enough to hold a doughnut, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, salted butter, and cream.
Heat the contents on HIGH for 1 minute.
Leave the bowl in the microwave for one minute and then stir the contents with a heat-resistant rubber spatula to see if the chips are melted. If they’re not, heat in 30-second increments until you can stir the icing smooth.
Quickly dip the tops of the doughnuts in the bowl of chocolate icing. Place them on a sheet of wax paper to cool.
Jo Fluke’s Note: If you want to coat the entire doughnut, place it in the bowl and turn it over with a fork. Do this one at a time, transferring each coated doughnut to a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
If you’d like to sprinkle chopped nuts on your doughnuts, do it now, before the chocolate icing has hardened. You can also put on sprinkles if you wish, or even shredded coconut.
Let the doughnuts sit until the coating has hardened. Then eat and enjoy.
These doughnuts are best eaten on the first day (which has never been a problem in my house!) If there are any leftovers, put them in a covered container and eat them the next morning for breakfast.
Yield: 12 yummy baked doughnuts.
Jo Fluke’s Note: I got my baked doughnut pans directly from the manufacturer, Wilton. They’re easy to find over the holidays, but most kitchen stores don’t carry them year-round. Look online if you can’t find them by searching for “baked doughnut pans”.
ANY FLAVOR BAKED DOUGHNUTS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
2 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
¾ cup white (granulated) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best, of course)
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound) salted butter, melted
Spray the wells in a 12-cup doughnut pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. (I used two 6-cup doughnut pans)
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the all-purpose flour and the white sugar together at low speed.
Add the baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
With the mixer running, drizzle in the melted butter and continue to mix until the doughnut dough is smooth.
If you are making flavored doughnuts, mix in the flavoring you want from the list below:
Orange doughnuts–1 teaspoon orange zest
Lemon doughnuts–1 teaspoon lemon zest
Coffee doughnuts–1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
Peanut butter doughnuts–1 cup (6-oz. pkg.) peanut butter chips
Butterscotch doughnuts–1 cup (6-oz. pkg.) butterscotch chips
White chocolate doughnuts–1 cup (6-oz pkg.) white chocolate chips
Cherry Doughnuts–½ cup chopped maraschino cherries, patted dry
Cranberry Doughnuts–½ cup chopped dried cranberries
Jo Fluke’s Note: for Orange or Lemon doughnuts, you may want to use 1 teaspoon of the orange or lemon extract for 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract.
If you are using chips to flavor your doughnuts, take the bowl out of the mixer and mix in the chips by hand. If you’re using zest, just add it to your mixing bowl with the melted butter.
Spoon the dough into the indentations in the doughnut pan, filling them a bit over ¾ full.
Bake the doughnuts at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle baked part of one of the doughnuts comes out clean.
Take the doughnuts out of the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack. Cool them for 1 to 2 minutes.
Loosen the edges of the doughnuts by running a table knife around the circles. Then use potholders to pick up the pan and tip them out onto the wire rack.
If you’d like a simple coating for your doughnuts, quickly fill a bag with 3 Tablespoons of white (granulated) sugar. You must coat your doughnuts while they are still warm so that the sugar coating will stick.
Place the warm doughnuts in the bag, one at a time, and shake them in the sugar. Then take them out and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
Alternatively, you can coat your doughnuts with Powdered Sugar Glaze, Flavored Powdered Sugar Glaze, or Chip Icing. Let the doughnuts cool completely first before you begin to make your glaze or icing. (If you attempt to frost or glaze warm doughnuts, the icing or glaze will slide off.)
Powdered Sugar Glaze:
2 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it—no need to sift unless it’s got big lumps)
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Flavored Powdered Sugar Glaze:
2 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it—no need to sift unless it’s got big lumps)
¼ cup fruit juice
1 teaspoon flavor extract
(For orange use orange juice, for lemon use lemon juice, for cherry use maraschino cherry juice, for cranberry use cranberry juice. You can also add a half-teaspoon of zest to the orange and lemon if you wish.)
Combine the glaze ingredients in a saucepan large enough to hold a doughnut. Heat on MEDIUM, whisking until the glaze is smooth.
Pull the saucepan off the heat and dip a cooled doughnut into the glaze. Flip it over with a fork to glaze both sides. Extract the doughnut with the fork and set it down on a sheet of wax paper to dry.
When the glaze has “set” on your doughnuts, you can re-dip them if you re-heat the glaze in your pan.
Any Flavor Chip Icing:
1 cup chips of your choice (6-ounce package)
2 Tablespoons salted butter
2 Tablespoons cream
In a microwave-safe bowl that’s large enough to hold a doughnut, combine the chips, salted butter and cream.
Heat the contents on HIGH for 1 minute.
Let the bowl sit in the microwave for 1 minute and then stir to see if the chips are melted. If they’re not, heat in 30-second increments until you can stir the icing smooth.
Quickly dip the tops of the cold doughnuts in the bowl of icing. Place them on a sheet of wax paper iced side up.
Jo Fluke’s Note: If you want to coat the entire doughnut, place it in the bowl and turn it over with a fork. Do this one at a time, transferring each coated doughnut to a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
If you’d like to sprinkle chopped nuts on your doughnuts, do it before the icing has hardened. You can also put on sprinkles or decorators sugar if you wish.
Let the doughnuts sit until the coating has hardened. Then eat and enjoy.
These doughnuts are best eaten on the first day (which has never been a problem in my house!) If there are any leftovers, put them in a covered container and eat them the next morning for breakfast.
Yield: 12 yummy baked doughnuts.
Chapter Seven
Hannah woke up when the sky began to lighten with the promise of a new day. Even though, technically, she was still on vacation, she’d gotten into the habit of waking up early and old habits were hard to break. She smiled as she got out of bed and slipped on her bathing suit and one of the robes that the hotel had provided for its guests.
A moment later, she let herself into Ross’s suite. She walked across the floor to the window, opened the drapes and the sliding door, and stepped out on the balcony. It faced east and there was a glow on the horizon. As she stood there and watched, the glow brightened and the scene below her took shape. At first, the pool was a hazy rectangle in the predawn light. The sky, reflecting on the surface of the water was a slightly lighter shade than the surrounding apron of concrete that was textured and tinted to look like brickwork.
That was when the first pale colors, muted by the gray of the sky, began to appear on the horizon. First there was a pale yellow glow that gradually lightened with a hint of coral at its base as the sun, still hidden, rose slowly in the sky. And then came the magical moment that always made Hannah’s heart beat with joy at being alive. The sun, in all its stately splendor, peeked over the horizon and painted the landscape below it with brilliant color. Almost instantly, birds began to sing to herald a new day, and Hannah felt Ross’s arms wrap around her waist. His lips brushed the tender skin at the back of her neck and she wondered if anything could be more perfect.
“I love to watch the sunrise,” he said softly. “It’s like a resurrection for me. I can forget the mistakes I made in the past because everything is fresh and new again. And if I try, I have the power to make it the best day of my life.”
Hannah didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. She simply turned and kissed him.
“An early morning swim?” he asked, holding her tightly. “Or is it too early?”
“It’s not too early,” she answered as she took his hand.
It was time to pack to go home and Hannah didn’t want to go. Tears welled up in her eyes as she unzipped her empty suitcase, opened it on the bed, and began to remove her clothes from the hotel closet. She’d only folded and packed a few things when there was a knock on her hotel room door.
A smile spread across Hannah’s face as she rushed to answer it. Perhaps it was Ross. Even though she’d left him less than twenty minutes ago, he might be missing her as much as she missed him.
Hannah’s smile faded a bit as she opened the door and saw who was standing there. “Hello, Mother.”
“Hello, dear. May I come in?”
“Of course.” Hannah opened the door wider and her mother stepped into the room. Her eyes searched the space and rested on the open suitcase. “You’re packing this early?”
“Yes. I’m meeting Ross and the girls for brunch later. He’s going to take us to the plane.”
“Good. Doc and I were planning to go along, but if Ross is taking you, we won’t. He’s a very capable man, Hannah.”
“Yes, he is.”
The silence stretched out for several moments and then Delores sighed. “I’m really no good at these mother-daughter talks, you know.”
Oh, I know, Hannah thought, but of course she didn’t say it. Somehow, through a massive effort of will, she managed to keep her lips from twitching up in a smile.
“I just hope you know that whatever you decide is fine with me,” Delores continued. “Of course I have my preferences, but it’s what you want that matters.”
Hannah couldn’t help it. She had to ask. “You’re talking about Norman and Mike?”
“Yes. Did you have a good time in Las Vegas, Hannah?”
This time Hannah did smile. “Yes, I did. It was a wonderful vacation, Mother.”
“And the only thing wrong is that you want to stay here, but you have to go home?”
“That’s it in a nutshell. Do you know where that phrase comes from, Mother?”
“Not now, Hannah. We’re having a talk. You can tell me all about it later. I want to know if Ross is one of the reasons you had such a good time.”
“Yes,” Hannah said and left it at that.
“Good! I’m not sure I know how to say this.”
“That’s okay. Just spit it out, Mother.”
“I really don’t like to admit this, but Doc and I played matchmaker. I guess you know that?”
“I know.”
“And did it work?”
A happy smile spread over Hannah’s face and she did a very uncharacteristic thing. She gave her mother a big hug. “Yes, Mother. It worked.”
“And you’re in love?”
Hannah thought about that for a minute. “I think I am.”
“Do you want to be with him every minute of every day?”
“Yes.”
“And can you scarcely bear the thought of being without him, even if it’s only for a week?”
“Yes.”
“How about Mike?”
“What about Mike?”
“Does the thought of being without Mike for a week make you unhappy?”
Hannah thought about that for a minute. “No, not really. The only time I’ve thought about Mike is when someone has mentioned his name.”
“How about Norman? Have you thought about him?”
“I thought about Norman a little more than I thought about Mike, but I think it’s because he’s keeping Moishe for me.”
“It’s settled then. I think that you’re in love with Ross.”
Hannah took a deep breath. “If that’s true, what do I do next?”
“You wait and see what’s going to happen. And you follow your heart. Just remember this, Hannah.” Delores looked very serious. “There are all kinds of love and not that many people are lucky enough to experience what I have with Doc. All I can tell you is to follow your heart and hang on tight. Don’t let love slip through your fingers, dear. Love is far too precious to lose.”
It was time to go. The plane was waiting and Andrea and Michelle had already boarded. Hannah turned to Ross and sighed. “I don’t want to go, Cupcake.”
“And I don’t want you to go.” He kissed her. It started as a polite, public kiss, but then his arms tightened around her and he kissed her again.
Hannah felt tears come to her eyes. He’d called her Cupcake when they were in college. And what she’d said was true. She didn’t want to leave him, not even for a moment. She wanted to stay right in the circle of his arms forever.
“Hannah?”
She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. Then she looked up at him again and answered, “Yes, Ross?”
“Do you think that maybe this could work? I mean, really, really work?”
Hannah smiled a slow smile that lit up her whole face. Ross loved her! And she loved him. It was a miracle and suddenly anything was possible. She was so happy, she was convinced that if she took Ross’s hand, they could race down the runway and soar up into the skies, just the two of them.
“Hannah?” Ross looked slightly worried as he gazed down at her.
She hugged him tightly. “Yes, Ross. I think that this could really, really work.”
And then she drew him down for a kiss that would seal the promise she had just made to him.
Chapter Eight
“Rrrowww!” Moishe gave an irate yowl as he jumped out of Hannah’s arms and escaped to the living room carpet.
“Sorry, Moishe,” she apologized. She must have been hugging him too tightly, a reaction to her anxiety about the day that was just beginning to unfold. She finished the last sip of her coffee, set the empty mug on the end table, and attempted to explain to her feline roommate. “I know you don’t like hugs and I didn’t mean to scare you. I guess I’m just a little nervous about what’s going to happen today, that’s all.”
“Rrrrow.”
The yowl was softer and it was accompanied by a purr as he jumped up to resume his favorite position on the back of the couch. It was obvious that he had accep
ted her apology by coming back into hugging range. He perched there, staring down at her and watching to see what she’d do next.
“I know,” Hannah said, giving a little sigh. Even Moishe knew that this was not a typical morning. For one thing, the sun was up and it was three hours past five AM, the time that Hannah usually left for work. For another thing, she usually fed him, drank her coffee at the kitchen table, and took a quick shower just as soon as her eyes were fully open. Then she dressed for work and tossed him several kitty treats before she picked up her keys and went out the door.