The Gingerbread Bump-Off (31 page)

 

Let cool about 1 minute, and then remove from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

 

If you used parchment paper, you can now use it to hold the cookies as you top them with chocolate. Wax paper works great for this, too. Place the chocolate morsels and vegetable shortening in the top half of a double boiler. Over simmering water, melt the chocolate and vegetable shortening. Stir gently until combined. Spoon the chocolate over the cookies. Let set.

 

Cookie
1 (3.5-ounce) package cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix
½ cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup oat flour*
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

 

Vanilla Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons softened butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

 

 

For the cookies, in a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, oat flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.

 

 

*Oat flour can be made by processing or blending oats until they become the texture of flour. To make ½ cup of oat flour, put a mounded ½ cup of oats in a blender or food processor and blend until the oats look like flour.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll the dough out to about ⅛-inch thickness, and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.

 

 

For the icing, in a medium bowl, cream together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and milk. Stir until smooth and well blended. Adjust for spreading or piping consistency by adding more milk or powdered sugar. If you don’t have pastry bag, use a heavy-duty, quart-sized, resealable bag. Fill the bag half-full with icing and push the mixture toward one corner. Fold the other corner over and remove the excess air. Twist the bag right above the top of the icing to seal it in so it can’t work its way out of the bag. Snip off a tiny bit from the corner. You’re now ready to pipe your icing.

 

 

I call these cookies Gingerbread Boys because they’re mild gingerbread cookies that kids like.

 

 

 

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla extract. Beat until no lumps remain. Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies, and allow to dry completely before storing. You can also frost one cookie and top it with another to make a sandwich.

1 cup (6 ounces) mint chocolate chips
24 sturdy plastic spoons
2 or 3 crushed candy canes

 

Cover cookie sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper.

 

Melt the mint chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler. If using the microwave, place the chocolate chips in a heatproof cup. A small, deep cup gives the best results. Microwave the mint chocolate chips at 50 percent power for 1 minute. Remove and stir; then continue microwaving at 50 percent power, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Do
not
overheat the chocolate.

 

Dip a spoon far enough into the chocolate to coat the bowl of the spoon. Remove excess chocolate by tapping the tip of the spoon gently against the side of the cup. If the chocolate thickens, return it to the microwave for 30 seconds at 50 percent power, and stir gently.

 

Place the dipped spoon on a waxed-paper-covered cooking sheet, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Repeat with the remaining spoons.

 

Cool thoroughly before wrapping individually with plastic wrap. Add a festive ribbon to keep the wrap on.

1 (12-ounce) can frozen cranberry juice
1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade
1 (12-ounce) can apple juice concentrate
9 cups water
5 (3-inch) sticks cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup sugar
2 lemons, thinly sliced

 

 

Thaw the undiluted juices. Combine the juices with the water, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes. Serve warm with thin slices of lemon.

 

8 slices white bread
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups grated Gouda cheese*
2 pears, thinly sliced

 

 

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Lightly butter one side of a slice of bread. Place bread butter side down in the skillet and spread with ⅛ cup grated cheese. Add a layer of sliced pears on top of the cheese, then another ⅛ cup grated cheese. Butter a second slice of bread on one side and place it butter side up on top of the sandwich. Grill until lightly browned. Carefully flip the sandwich over, and continue grilling until the cheese is melted. Repeat with the remaining 6 slices of bread, butter, grated cheese, and pears.

 

 

*You can also use thinly sliced cheese. Place 1 slice on the bread, followed by the pears, and then a second slice, followed by the second slice of bread.

 

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
⅓ cup butter or margarine
⅓ cup shortening
2 cups buttermilk

 

 

 

In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture has a fine crumb texture. Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork. Stop stirring when the mixture forms a soft dough.

 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Form a ball and knead it about 25 times. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

 

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

 

Working on a floured surface, roll or pat the dough out to 1-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter, or the floured rim of a glass. Always press straight down and up with the cutter. Twisting will keep the biscuits from rising nicely. Gather up the pieces left and make a ball; roll the ball out and repeat the cutting process. Don’t work the dough too much at this point. Place the cut biscuits about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet (light-colored pans work best), and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

 

Bake until lightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

 

1 pound ground sausage
¼ cup water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt and black pepper

 

Crumble and brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until completely cooked. Add the water and stir. Drain the sausage grease and water, leaving the meat in the skillet. Add the olive oil, and heat until sizzling. Stir in the flour until dissolved. Cook the sausage, oil, and flour mixture for at least 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook the gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot over biscuits.

 

You can skip adding the water and olive oil and leave in the sausage grease if you want, but I prefer the healthier olive oil.

 

16 ounces applesauce
1 cup cinnamon
2 tablespoons allspice

 

Preheat the oven to 150°F.

 

Combine the applesauce, cinnamon, and allspice, mixing well. Roll the dough out on waxed paper. Cut out ornaments with appropriately shaped cookie cutters. Poke a hole in the top of each ornament using a straw, knife, chopstick, pencil, or similar object.

 

Bake for 90 minutes. Turn the ornaments over. Bake for an additional 90 minutes. Allow the ornaments to cool and continue drying for 1 to 3 hours after baking.

 

Since these are ornaments, not cookies, you can use glue to decorate them with Red Hots, buttons, sequins, yarn, ribbon, beads, or pretty much anything.

 

Author’s Note

While the Christmas Jingle Bell Tour of Homes is a product of my imagination, there is an actual Christmas light tour in Weatherford, Texas. Sponsored by the Parker County Heritage Society, the Annual Candlelight Tour of Homes has showcased turn-of-the-century homes and the Chandor Gardens. All of the participants graciously open their beautiful homes and gardens with holiday decorations and give the historic background of each site.

Livia J. Washburn has been a professional writer for more than twenty years. She received the Private Eye Writers of America Award and the American Mystery Award for her first mystery,
Wild Night
, written under the name L. J. Washburn, and was nominated for a Spur Award by the Western Writers of America for a novel written with her husband, James Reasoner. She lives with her husband in a small Texas town, where she is constantly experimenting with new recipes. Her two grown daughters are both teachers in her hometown, and she is very proud of them. Visit her Web site at
www.liviajwashburn.com
.

Other Fresh-Baked Mysteries by Livia J. Washburn