Dessert lovers who enjoy cozy mysteries are most likely familiar with Joanne Fluke and her bestselling Hannah Swenson series. Hannah lives in Lake Eden, Minnesota and owns a cookie and coffee shop. One of the reasons these novels are fun is that they are so fairy-tale like: the characters have few real responsibilities, sit around and drink coffee and eat desserts (cookies mostly), and don’t ever gain an ounce. The books include lots of good recipes – mostly for desserts – and they all turn out really well. In Christmas Cake Murder, the story goes back to where Hannah is just out of college and gives the history of her going into business and starting The Cookie Jar. Hannah, her two sisters, and her mother are working together to help an elderly friend, Essie, who wants them to re-enact a Christmas Ball that happened years ago. While going through her things, the girls find an unfinished novel and read it together. The murder isn’t as up-front as in the previous novels, but it is there, just the same, and Hannah, et al, work to find the culprit.

The Christmas Cake Murder is well-written, the characters, which most readers of the series are already familiar with, are well-developed, and it is a fast read. There is suspense, as the main characters find themselves in danger, and as is typical in cozy mysteries, there is no graphic violence, language or sex. The following recipe, adapted from this fun culinary mystery, is for crunchy, chocolately cookies with a mystery ingredient to add crunch. Almost Hannah’s Cocoa-Crunch Cookies have more chocolate than the original recipe, and the instructions have been streamlined for modern cooks.

If you love desserts, and want some new recipes with a fun mystery, you’ll want to pick up this novel and can nibble on the following cookies while reading.

Makes about 80 2” cookies

1 1/2 cups softened butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch

1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed plain potato chips, (measure after crushing)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, preferably 60% cacao

Sugar for flattening the cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line several baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light; beat in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Place a fine strainer over the mixture and measure the flour, salt, and cocoa powder into the strainer; shake the mixture through.
5. Mix on low speed until the mixture forms a stiff dough.
6. Stir in the potato chips and chocolate chips.
7. Scoop tablespoon-size balls from the mixture, quickly roll them in your hands to even them out, and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
8. Press a flat-bottomed glass onto one of the cookies (to make the sugar stick), then dip the glass in sugar and flatten the cookies.
9. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms are brown.
10. Remove from the oven and transfer to cooling racks.
11. When cool, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Freeze for longer storage.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 83 Calories from Fat 44
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 53% Protein 3% Carb. 44%

Nutrient Amount per
Total Fat 5 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 15 mg
Sodium 58 mg
Total Carbohydrate 9 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 3 g
Protein 1 g

Vitamin A 3% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 1%