Sugar And Spice (26 page)

“That’s nice. I’ll do the scout logo in frosting on the sugar cookies. The boys really like that. How about the Girl Scouts?”

“Bonnie’s driving them to the mall so they can shop for their parents. Then they’re going back to her house for hot chocolate and Cinnamon Crisps.”

Lisa glanced at the calendar again. “I can help you cater the Girl Scout party. Herb’s got bowling league that night.”

“Great.” Hannah smiled at her young partner. Lisa had more energy than anyone she’d ever met. Of course age might have something to do with it. She had just turned twenty, and Hannah was a decade and a bit past that. Not that she wanted to think about age, especially when her biological clock was ticking and her mother delighted in reminding her that she didn’t have many childbearing years left. And now it was almost Christmas, and everyone was talking about families and kids.

Hannah’s smile took a wistful turn. Soon her newest niece, Bethany, would be old enough to give her that wonderful wide baby grin and reach up to pat her face. Babies were delightful with their chubby little hands, their squeals of utter delight when you tickled them, and their warm, sweet scent.

“What?” Lisa asked, noticing that Hannah had stopped at the pantry door and was staring at the wall.

“Oh! Uh…nothing. I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“Don’t forget to save the red cherry juice for the dough,” Lisa reminded her as Hannah got out the cherries. “Green juice makes them look really yucky.”

“Yucky’s not good in a bakery,” Hannah said, heading back to the workstation. “People want things to taste good, but they also like…” She stopped abruptly and turned to eye the phone on the wall as it began to ring. “Mother!” she said with the same inflection she would have voiced if she’d slid off the road into a ditch. It wasn’t that she disliked her mother. It was just that Delores had already called her three times this morning.

“You’re sure it’s your mother?”

“I’m sure. Nobody places orders this early and we don’t open for another forty-five minutes. Who else could it be?”

“But I thought your mother called you at home and that’s why you were late.”

“She did.”

“I see. But she has to call again because she’s got something she forgot to tell you?”

“You got it.” Hannah turned to eye her partner suspiciously. “Has my mother been calling you too?”

“No, Marge has.”

Hannah was amazed. She’d always thought calling back several times was a trait unique to her mother.

“Marge does that too?”

“Yes, but I don’t mind. Marge is the best mother-in-law in the world.”

Warning lights flashed in Hannah’s logical mind. “Hold on. You can’t make that kind of a value judgment without a standard of comparison.”

“Sure I can.” Lisa waved away her breech of logic. “I’m perfectly happy married to Herb, and there’s no way I’m ever going to get another standard of comparison. That means this is it and Marge is the best mother-in-law in the world.” Lisa stopped speaking and turned toward the ringing phone.

“Are you going to get that, or do you want me to?”

“Will you?” Hannah asked, heading for the workstation. She’d have to talk to her mother eventually, but at least she could get in another sip of coffee before she had to do it.

“The Cookie Jar. Lisa speaking.” Hannah watched as her partner grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. “Of course we can. We just baked a big batch of Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies and we’ll put them away for you. But…if you don’t mind me asking…why do you need twelve dozen chocolate chip cookies?” There was a silence and then Lisa shrugged “Okay. We’ll package them up for you right now.”

“Who was that?” Hannah asked when her partner had hung up the phone.

“Your sister.”

“Andrea?” Hannah guessed, and she wasn’t surprised when Lisa nodded. Hannah’s youngest sister, Michelle, was knee deep in final exams at Macalister College in Minneapolis. “What did Andrea say when you asked her why she needed twelve dozen cookies?”

“She told me it was a crisis and the whole thing was just awful.”

“What whole thing?”

“I don’t know. She said she was driving right over and she’d tell us all about it when she got here.”

CHOCOLATE CHIP CRUNCH COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.,

rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter (2 sticks, ½ pound)

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 beaten eggs (you can just beat them up in a cup with a fork)

2½ cups flour (not sifted—pack it down in the measuring cup)

2 cups cornflakes

1 to 2 cups chocolate chips

Melt the butter, add the sugars, and stir them all together in a large mixing bowl. Add the soda, salt, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Then add the flour and stir it in. Measure out the cornflakes and crush them with your hands. Then add them to your bowl and mix everything thoroughly.

Let the dough set on the counter for a minute or two to rest. (It doesn’t really need to rest, but you probably do.)

Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your fingers and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12

to a standard sheet. (I used Pam to grease my cookie sheets.) Press the dough balls down just a bit with your impeccably clean hand so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack until they’re completely cool. (The rack is important—it makes them crisp.) Yield: approximately 6 to 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.

Hannah’s Note: If your cookies spread out too much in the oven, either chill it in the refrigerator before baking, or turn out the dough on a floured board and knead in approximately 1 / 3 cup more flour.

BON-BON BROWNIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.,

rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter (2 sticks, ½ pound)

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (for a total of 4 ounces)

4 beaten eggs (you can just beat them up in a glass with a fork)

2 cups white (granulated) sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour (don’t sift—pack it down in the cup)

1 cup chopped pecans (walnuts will work also)

Paper mini-muffin cupliners (mine were marked 15/8 inches on the package) Put the butter and the baking chocolate in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl and heat it on HIGH for 2 minutes. Stir to see if it’s melted. If it isn’t, microwave it in 20-second intervals until it is. Set the bowl on the counter to cool to room temperature.

Beat the eggs. Add them to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir until they’re thoroughly incorporated.

Then add the sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour in two half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Set out paper cups (I use double papers) on a cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet, and spoon in the brownie dough until they’re 2/3 full. (Don’t use mini-muffin pans—you need the papers to spread out a little as they bake.) Bake them at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool them by placing the cookie sheet on a wire rack.

When the brownies are completely cool, count out one pecan half to top every brownie and make the Milk Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

Milk Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

2 cups milk chocolate chips (a 12-ounce package) One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk If you use a double boiler for this frosting, it’s foolproof. You can also make it in a heavy saucepan over low to medium heat on the stovetop, but you’ll have to stir it constantly with a spatula to keep it from scorching.

Fill the bottom part of the double boiler with water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the underside of the top.

Put the chocolate chips in the top of the double boiler and set it over the bottom. Place the double boiler on the stovetop at medium heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate chips are melted.

Stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk and cook approximately 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the frosting is shiny and of spreading consistency.

Spread the frosting on the Bon-Bon Brownies, mounding it up nicely in the middle.

Place a half-pecan on top of each brownie before the frosting is set.

Give the frosting pan to your favorite person to scrape.

Leave the Bon-Bon Brownies on a cookie sheet, uncovered, until the frosting is dry to the touch. This should take about 25 minutes or so. (If you’re in a real hurry, put the brownies in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening process.)

Yield: Makes approximately 6 dozen attractive little brownies.

Hannah’s Note: If you have any frosting left over, place it in a small container, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it. The next time you have ice cream, just heat the frosting in the microwave and spoon it over the top for a terrific milk chocolate fudge sauce.

“Oh my!” Lisa gasped, staring at Andrea in shock. “That’s just too sad for words.”

“I know. I practically cried when Julie told me.” Andrea settled herself on a stool at the workstation. She was wearing a soft rose-colored suit under a white fur jacket. Her shining blond hair was swept up in an elaborate twist, and the white fur hat that was perched on her head was far too small and dainty to protect her from the cold. Hannah glanced down at her own jeans and logo sweatshirt and quelled a small stab of jealousy. Her younger sister always dressed like a fashion model, and looked like one too.

Hannah pushed the plate of cookies closer to her sister. A few more calories wouldn’t hurt Andrea’s perfect figure, and it might make her feel better. “It does sound like a real tragedy.”

“Absolutely,” Andrea agreed, reaching for a cookie. “Christmas is for families. No child should have to spend the holidays at boarding school.”

“Oh, that’s not the tragedy. Spending Christmas vacation at school is bad, but kids can survive something like that. Spending Christmas vacation without dessert is the real tragedy!”

“You’re right.” Andrea took a bite of her cookie and smiled her approval. “So you’re going to bake desserts for Julie and the kids?”

“Of course. Was there ever any doubt?”

“Not really. Thank you, Hannah. I knew you’d come through for me. You remember Julie, don’t you? We were on the cheerleading squad together.”

“Of course I remember her. She was the only girl who could do five cartwheels in a row without getting dizzy.”

“That’s right. I really hate to ask, but could you run the cookies out to the academy this morning? Julie said the kids were really depressed when their friends left this morning and they need something to cheer them up. I’d do it myself, but I’m showing the old Goetz place at noon today.”

Hannah was surprised. Andrea was a great real estate agent, but the Goetz place had been vacant for a year and it was practically falling down. “But the Goetz place is a real dump.”

“Never say dump. Real estate professionals call a house like that unloved.”

“Unlovable is more like it.”

“Maybe to you, but these people are interested. So can you go out to the school with the cookies? Or should I take them later?”

“Hannah can take them,” Lisa said. “The baking’s done and the coffee’s on in the shop. I don’t have to open for another twenty minutes, and that gives me plenty of time to fill the serving jars and set up the tables.”

Hannah wavered. She really wanted to see Julie again. “Well…if you’re sure…”

“I’m sure. And while you’re there, see if you can talk them into ordering apple crisp.”

Julie must have been watching for her to arrive. When Hannah pulled up in the circular driveway of the school in her cookie truck, the front door opened and Julie stepped out. Hannah rushed to meet her and gave her a hug. “Hi, Julie. You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Yes, I have.” Julie ginned widely. “See? No braces.”

“That’s true. So where are these poor little tykes who’ve been left without dessert?”

“Next door at Aames House. We thought separate dorms would be too lonely, so we’re all staying there together. The kids are in the lounge, watching a movie with Matt.”

Hannah went on alert as Julie said her fellow teacher’s name. There was a slight breathless quality to her voice that turned the name into something approaching a vocal caress. Hannah was willing to bet the farm that whoever Matt was, he was more than just a fellow teacher.

“Who’s Matt?” Hannah asked, preparing to listen for more vocal clues. Her cat, Moishe, could swivel both ears independently to pick up every nuance of sound, and for the first time in her life, Hannah wished she had that ability.

“Matt’s the teacher who’s staying with the boys. I’m taking care of the girls.”

“And Matt is…” Hannah paused, trying to figure out how to phrase it. Everyone always accused her of having no tact. “Young? Handsome? Unmarried?”

Julie gave a little chuckle and her cheeks turned pink. “He’s three out of three.”

“And you didn’t really mind giving up your Christmas vacation as long as Matt was staying here too?”

Julie gave the type of smile that Hannah associated with Moishe, right after she’d presented him with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. “I don’t mind at all,” she said.

“And Matt doesn’t mind either?” Hannah guessed.

“I don’t think so. He’s marvelous, Hannah. Tall, handsome, bright, caring, and absolutely great with children.”

Hannah just grinned. It was clear that Julie had fallen harder than a novice ice-skater for Matt. She just hoped that Matt felt the same way about Julie.

“Andrea called and said you were bringing cookies. Do you want me to help you carry them?”

“Good idea.” Hannah opened the back door of the cookie truck and loaded Julie up with three bakery boxes. She took the other two boxes, closed the truck door, and followed Julie to Aames House.

“Let’s take them straight to the lounge,” Julie said, leading the way down the long hallway with a spring in her step that reminded Hannah of a colt frolicking in a green pasture.