Christmas is coming

and with it, lots and lots of cookies!

Looking for something different?

Try these delicious delights from 

Joanne Fluke's

SUGAR COOKIE MURDER

The holidays are the icing on the cake for bakery owner Hannah Swensen. Surrounded by her loved ones, she has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas--until murder is added to the mix.  .  .

When it comes to holidays, Minnesotans rise to the occasion--and the little town of Lake Eden is baking up a storm with Hannah leading the way. The annual Christmas Buffet is the final test of the recipes Hannah has collected for the Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook.

The recently divorced Martin Dubinski arrives at the buffet with his new Vegas showgirl wife--all wrapped up in glitter and fur. His ex-wife, however, seems as cool as chilled eggnog. And when Hannah's mother's antique Christmas cake knife disappears, its discovery in the décolletage of the new--and now late--Mrs. Dubinski puts the festivities on ice.

With everyone stranded at the community center by a blizzard, Hannah puts her investigative skills to the test, using the ingredients at hand: half the town of Lake Eden--and a killer. Now, as the snowdrifts get higher, it's up to Hannah to dig out all the clues--and make sure that this white Christmas doesn't bring any more deadly tidings.  .  .

Includes over fifty original recipes for you to try!

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Heavenly Tea Cookies

All food images courtesy of Google Images

DO NOT preheat oven---

this dough must chill before baking. 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, ¾ pound)

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 beaten eggs (just whisk them up in a glass with a fork)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring---in the story lemon extract was used)

1 ½ cups dried mixed fruit chopped with 2 Tablespoons flour (measure fruit after chopping)

3 cups flour

   Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 2 ½ minutes.

   Add the brown sugar and mix it up.

   Let it cool for several minutes. 

   When the mixture is warm to the touch, but not hot, add the beaten eggs baking powder and vanilla. 

   Chop the dried mixed fruit. This is easy with a food processor and steel blade.     Just drop in the fruit (in the story, peaches, apples, pears, and apricots were     used) and sprinkle the 2 Tablespoons of lour on top. 

   Pulse until the fruit is finely chopped, adding a bit more flour if it starts to  "gum" up. 

   Measure out a cup and half of chopped fruit.

   Add fruit to your mixing bowl and stir it in.

   Then add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition. 

   Place the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up. 

   Then divide into 4 parts.

   Using waxed paper, roll each part into a log approximately 2 inches in diameter. (If dough is too sticky, return it to the refrigerator and let it chill for another 10 minutes.)

   Wrap logs in fresh sheets of waxed paper, stick them in a plastic bag, and store them in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (Overnight is fine too---Heavenly Tea Cookie dough will keep up to a week in your refrigerator.)

   When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., with rack in the center position.

   Take out a roll of dough, (just one---it's easier to work with when it's chilled) unwrap it, and roll it on the counter again if the bottom has flattened in the refrigerator

   Cut quarter-inch thick slices with a sharp knife and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized sheet. 

   Return unused dough to the refrigerator. 

   Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until nicely browned.

   Cool one or two minutes on the sheet and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

   Yield: 6 to 7 dozen cookies. 

Note: These cookies are not very sweet---

if you prefer a sweeter cookie, dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving. 

Aren't these beautiful?

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Do you have a favorite cookie recipe?

Message it to me at

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and I'll share it on the blog!

(Photos would be wonderful!)