Read 5 Merry Market Murder Online
Authors: Paige Shelton
5 Merry Market Murder (25 page)
I tried not to show my relief. I wasn’t quite good and ready. Yet. Soon maybe, but not quite yet.
I untied the bow and pulled off the lid.
“It’s a key,” I said.
“It is. Not long ago, you claimed I’d only let you drive my cruiser when I cared enough about you. I’m pretty serious about the department’s cruisers. . . .”
But he couldn’t talk anymore. It’s difficult to talk and kiss at the same time.
“Well, I guess you like it then,” he said when I finally pulled away.
“It’s the most wonderful gift I’ve ever been given,” I said.
“It’s only the beginning, Becca, that I promise,” Sam replied.
I liked that idea.
Recipes
Best Basic Holiday Cut-Out Cookies
3
/
4
cup butter or margarine, softened
3
/
4
cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1
/
4
teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
ICING:
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1
/
4
teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
A few drops of food coloring, in various colors (optional)
Sprinkles and edible glitter (optional)
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter or margarine in a large bowl on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat in the flour. Divide the dough in half. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or until the dough is easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to a
1
/
8
-inch thickness. Using 2- or 2
1
/
2
inch cutters, cut the dough into desired holiday shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire rack to cool.
In a small bowl stir together the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and enough of the milk to make an icing of piping consistency. Divide into batches, one for each color that you are using, and place each batch into a separate small bowl. Add drops of color and stir icing until color is mixed in. Use a piping bag or a plastic bag with a small corner cut off to decorate the cookies.
Makes about 3 dozen
Becca’s Strawberry Jam–Filled Cookies
3
/
4
cup butter, softened
1
/
2
cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1
/
4
teaspoon salt
1
3
/
4
cups all-purpose flour
1
/
4
–
1
/
2
cup fruit preserves, any flavor (of course, Becca uses strawberry, her specialty)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt. Using a spoon or a plastic spatula, mix in flour a little at a time until a soft dough forms. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Use your finger or a similar-sized implement to make a well in the center of each cookie.
Place preserves into a small plastic bag and cut off a small corner piece. Divide preserves evenly among each cookie well.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Remove the cookies and cool on wire racks.
Note: Keep dough in refrigerator when not baking. Dough should not be stored for more than a couple days.
Makes about 2
1
/
2
dozen
Orange Meltaways
1 cup butter, softened
1
/
2
cup confectioners’ sugar
1
/
2
teaspoon orange extract
1
1
/
4
cups all-purpose flour
1
/
2
cup cornstarch
FROSTING:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1
1
/
2
cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons 2 percent milk
1
/
4
teaspoon orange extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine flour and cornstarch. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, and mix well.
Shape into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottoms and edges are light brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
FROSTING:
In a small bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and orange extract, and beat until smooth. Spread, or use a plastic bag with a corner cut off to put a small design on each cookie.
Note: Keep dough in refrigerator when not baking. Dough should not be stored for more than a couple days.
Makes about 2
1
/
2
dozen
Gingerbread Biscuits
1
/
2
cup light molasses or honey
1
/
2
cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2
1
/
2
cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch cardamom
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1
/
2
cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon tepid water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment, and set aside.
In a saucepan over low heat, combine the molasses, sugar, and butter, and stir gently until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Sift together 2 cups of the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom into a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk, milk, and molasses mixture and stir to combine.
Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add to the flour mixture. On a lightly floured work surface, gradually knead in as much of the remaining flour as needed to obtain a firm dough. Roll dough to
1
/
2
-inch thickness, and cut out desired shapes. Place on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 2 dozen
Brandy Snaps with Pastry Cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup or light molasses
1
/
4
cup unsalted butter
1
/
3
cup packed brown sugar
1
/
4
cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1
1
/
2
teaspoons ground ginger
PASTRY CREAM:
3 egg yolks
1
/
4
cup sugar
2
1
/
2
tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
Combine syrup, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepan set over low heat and stir until butter is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour and ginger. Drop mixture by 2 teaspoonfuls, 3 to 4 inches apart, onto a prepared baking sheet. Make only 3 to 4 snaps at a time. Bake for 5 minutes—they’ll be thin and bubbly. Remove the parchment with the brandy snaps from the sheet and allow to cool on rack for 1 minute or until the snaps are warm and moldable. Gently roll each snap around the handle of a wooden spoon to make a tube. Allow to cool on the handle for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
To make the pastry cream, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale—about 3 minutes. Sift in the flour and mix well. Heat the milk to boiling and gradually whisk it into the yolk mixture. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and stir, constantly, over low heat until the mixture is thick, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Cool mixture, then pipe into the brandy-snap tubes.
Makes a dozen
Super-Easy Pumpkin Cream Pie
1
1
/
2
cups milk
2 (3.5-oz.) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 9-inch pie crust, baked
Combine milk, pudding mix, pumpkin, spice, and whipped topping in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on lowest speed for about 1 minute. Pour into cooled pie crust.
Chill until set, about 3 hours. Serve.
Cranberry Cream Pie
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup sugar
5 ounces shortbread cookies
1
/
2
cup roasted almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 (8-oz.) package frozen cranberries, thawed and patted dry with paper towels
1 (
1
/
4
-oz.) packet unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
Warm the orange juice and sugar in a small pan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate until just cool, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, pulse the cookies and almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse to combine. Press the cookie mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
Clean the food processor, then puree the cranberries with
1
/
4
cup of the cooled juice.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining juice and let stand for 1 minute. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Add pureed cranberries and stir to combine.
Beat the cream in a medium bowl using a whisk or electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cranberry mixture until well combined. Pour the cranberry cream into prepared crust. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.
Whipped Shortbread Christmas Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1
1
/
2
cups all-purpose flour
1
/
2
cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1
/
4
cup red maraschino cherries
1
/
4
cup green maraschino cherries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine butter, flour, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract using an electric mixer until mixture is a smooth consistency. Be patient.
Spoon dough by teaspoonfuls, or by tablespoons for larger cookies, onto prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Cut maraschino cherries into quarters and place one piece in the middle of each cookie, alternating red and green cherries.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until bottoms of cookies are light brown—do not overbake. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
Makes about 2 dozen
Cranberry–White Chocolate Muffins
1
/
4
cup chopped walnuts
1
/
3
plus
1
/
4
cup brown sugar, divided
2
1
/
4
cups flour, divided
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3
/
4
cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1
/
2
teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1
/
2
cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1
/
2
cup white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 16 muffin cups with baking spray containing flour; set aside.
No mixer needed. Using a spoon, in small bowl, combine walnuts,
1
/
3
cup brown sugar,
1
/
4
cup flour, and butter, and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
In large bowl, combine remaining 2 cups flour, sugar, remaining
1
/
4
cup brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix with wire whisk. In medium bowl, combine eggs, oil, and sour cream, and beat with whisk until smooth and blended. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Add cranberries and white chocolate chips. Stir until blended.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups; divide brown sugar mixture evenly over tops. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are brown and firm to the touch. Let cool in muffin tins for 3 to 4 minutes, then carefully remove to wire racks to cool. Serve warm.
Makes 16
