It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

This week's recipe is from

CAKE POPPED OFF

Book 2 in the Cupcake Catering Mysteries

by Kim Davis

Cupcake caterer Emory Martinez is hosting a Halloween bash alongside her octogenarian employer, Tillie. With guests dressed in elaborate costumes, the band is rocking, the cocktails are flowing, and tempers are flaring when the hired Bavarian Barmaid tries to hook a rich, hapless husband. Except one of her targets happens to be Emory’s brother-in-law, which bodes ill for his pregnant wife. When Emory tracks down the distraught barmaid, instead of finding the young woman in tears, she finds her dead. Can she explain to the new detective on the scene why the Bavarian Barmaid was murdered in Emory’s bathtub with Emory’s Poison Apple Cake Pops stuffed into her mouth?

With an angry pregnant sister to contend with, she promises to clear her brother-in-law’s name. As Emory starts asking questions and tracking down the identity of the costumed guests, she finds reasons to suspect her brother-in-law has been hiding a guilty secret. Her search leads her to a web of blackmail and betrayal amongst the posh setting of the local country club crowd. Can Emory sift through the lies she’s being told and find the killer? She’ll need to step up her investigation before another victim is sent to the great pumpkin patch in the sky.

Includes spooky Halloween recipes!

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1 lucky reader will win a print copy of

 

CAKE POPPED OFF

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BLACK CAT 

CHOCOLATE HALLOWEEN COOKIES

Makes 15 – 20 cookies, depending on size

A yummy and fun Halloween decorating project for kids!

Ingredients

Cookies

1 (15.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

Frosting (Feel free to use your favorite ready-made chocolate frosting)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup cocoa powder (either natural or Dutch will work)

2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3–4 tablespoons milk or half-and-half

Decorating Garnishes

Chocolate jimmies for fur (plus rainbow jimmies if your kids like to experiment with designs)

Mini M&M’s for eyes

Candy corns for ears

Licorice shoestring laces, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces for whiskers (or fondant tinted black and rolled into strands for the whiskers)

Candy-hearts (or red mini M&M’s or mini jelly beans) for nose

Or use your favorite sprinkles

 

Instructions

Cookies

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2.      Add the cake mix, vegetable oil, and eggs to a large bowl and stir until well combined.

3.      Roll the dough into 2-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet at least 3 inches apart.

4.      Bake for 7–9 minutes.

5.      Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to completely cool before frosting and decorating.

Frosting

1.      Using an electric mixer, whip the butter until smooth (1–2 minutes).

2.      Add the cocoa powder and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

3.      On low speed, add one-third of the confectioners’ sugar to the butter mixture and beat until smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk, then add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and beat.

4.      Add in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until a spreadable consistency is acquired. You don’t want it too thin, but frosting shouldn’t be so thick it won’t spread on cookie. Once desired consistency is reached, beat the frosting for 1 minute.

Assembling the cookies

1.      Working with 1 cookie at a time, spread chocolate frosting over the top of a cookie. Immediately sprinkle an outline of jimmies along the outside edge of the cookie to represent fur.

2.      Position 2 upside-down candy corns near the top of the cookie for the ears. Position 2 mini M&M’s for the eyes and place a dab of chocolate frosting in the center of the M&M’s for the pupils.

3.      Place either a red candy heart, a red M&M, or a mini jelly bean in the lower center of the cookie for the nose and add 3 short licorice shoestring laces (or fondant strands) to each side of the nose to represent whiskers.

4.      Allow the frosting to set. Position cookies in a single layer on a serving platter.

5.      Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If necessary to stack cookies for storing, place a sheet of waxed paper between each layer.

How adorable are these?

GOOD LUCK!

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