Christmas in July is a perfect time to read short mysteries. Three short Christmas stories in one book. The book also includes recipes. The best one is from Joanne Fluke Christmas Chocolate and Date Cookies.
Three authors with loved cozy mystery series have come together to create this book with short stories set at Christmas time. Each story brings a new murder to be solved and delicious recipes.
Candy Cane Murder with three novellas by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier
Christmas Chocolate Date Cookies
from a Cozy Mystery Novel
with Recipes
By Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, & Leslie Meier
3 Christmas Themed Novellas
Book Outline and Tone:
We all like to think we have more time in the summer to slow down, but we are really fooling ourselves. I think summer is every bit as busy as any other time of the year. So this book is the perfect Christmas in July book. You may have time to read one short story before life gets busy again.
The book starts with a Hannah Swensen story by Joanne Fluke. The mystery, set at Christmas time, is a typical Hannah story with her quick wits and generous supply of cookies helping her to solve the mystery. This mystery stumped me and was clever in both the discovery of the body and the eventual murderer reveal.
The second story is a Janie Austin story by Laura Levine. This was the first Levine story that I have read. I was delighted in how she told the story. Since the novel is written in first person, it is super easy to jump into the main character’s mindset and how she pieces together all of the clues. The good news is there are 20 Janie Austin novels to read!
The last story may have been the most interesting. Leslie Meier’s character, Lucy Stone, also has a mystery to solve, but this one takes place in the early 1980s. The story begins with Lucy remembering the time she checked on her toddler and found snow had come in through the window during his nap. From there, the mystery which is set in Maine, unravels without the internet, cell phones, or other conveniences we are used to using today.
Point of View:
The dangers of candy canes is told in first person and was a delightful switch up from Hannah Swensen stories that are told in third person limited to Hannah’s thoughts.
The third story, Candy Canes of Christmas Past, was also told in third person.
The Author:
Joanne Fluke
Joanne Fluke published her first Hannah Swenson novel, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, in 2001. Since then she has been a New York Times bestselling author several times. She is a popular guest on her local television station and she always uploads her interview to her Youtube Channel. She even has many interviews organized by the book. Some of her books have been made into movies on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery can be found https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/. Joanne Fluke will interact with fans on her Twitter and her Facebook accounts.
Laura Levine
Author Laura Levine has had a successful career in advertising and writing scripts for sitcoms. Most notably she is credited with inventing Count Chocula and Frankenberry cereals for General Mills. Her website boasts that her favorite creative work is her Janie Austen series. In 2024 she published the 20th book in the series, Murder Buys a One-Way Ticket.
Leslie Meier
Set in Maine, Lucy Stone cozy mysteries have for many years reflected the life of the author who, like Lucy, also lives in Maine and is a mom. On Leslie Meier’s website, she wrote that rather than her series being titled as cozies, they may be better described as comedies of manners. In July of 2024, her 30th book in the Lucy Stone series, Patchwork Quilt Murder was released. More information about Leslie and her books can also be found on her Facebook page.
What is not to like?:
I enjoyed all 3 novellas, but I was surprised to remember how things have changed even since 2007. Janie Austen is far too obsessed about her weight and Lucy Stone’s story has references to what today we would flag as sexist.
The verdict:
Even with my minor objections listed above, I still think this is a great book to grab for some Christmas in July fun.
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
Christmas Chocolate Date Cookies
Assemble the Ingredients
Easy dessert to make: 4/5 on the Easy as Pie scale 🥧🥧🥧🥧
This dough must chill before baking. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F rack in the middle position.
If like me, you buy chopped dates, or sprinkle whole pitted dates with a quarter-cup flour and then chop them in a food processor. A 10-ounce by weight container of whole pitted dates ended up being exactly 2 cups when I chopped them in my food processor.
Pour the boiling water over the chopped dates, give them a stir with a fork, and set them aside on the counter to cool.
Melt the butter in a microwave-sale howl, I used and OXO measuring cup. for 90 seconds on HIGH. Set the melted butter on the counter to cool.
Easy to read measure marks on inside of cup. Dishwasher safe.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, I recommend a sturdy and dependable Kitchen Aid.
It is worth it to get the larger stand mixer. This is big enough to handle any recipe and most recipes when doubled!
Combine the white sugar, baking soda, salt, and eggs.
Beat well.
Feel the bowl with the date mixture. If you can hold it comfortably in your hands, add it now and mix in the dates thoroughly. If it’s too hot, let it cool another couple of minutes.
Once the dates are mixed in, add the chocolate chips to your bowl and mix.
Then add the melted butter and mix thoroughly.
Add the flour in half-cup increments (that’ll be 11 half-cups)’ beating after each addition.
Take the bowl from the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill. (Overnight is fine, too.)
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F rack in the middle position. (Yes, that’s 325°F—most of my cookies bake at 350°F, but these are best if they bake slowly at a lower heat.
Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. Or you can use a small or medium sized cookie scoop. This dough may be sticky, so roll only enough for the cookies you plan to bake immediately and then return the bowl to the refrigerator.
This set has small, medium, and large scoops. Perfect for even cookies or filling cupcake liners.
Roll the dough halls in the howl of white sugar.
Place dough on a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them slightly with your hand so they won’t fall off on the way to the oven.
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Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Yield: 8 to 10 dozen great cookies. You can freeze any extras for up to 3 months in freezer bags.
Dessert Recipes 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
Christmas Chocolate Date Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped pitted dates (You can buy chopped dates, or sprinkle whole pitted dates with a quarter-cup flour and then chop them in a food processor. I couldn't find chopped dates, and a 10-ounce by weight container of whole pitted dates ended up being exactly 2 cups when I chopped them in my food processor.)
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 cup melted butter
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 eggs beaten
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (that's a 12-ounce package)
- 5½ cups flour (don't sift—pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
- ½ cup white granulated sugar in a small bowl to roll the dough balls
Instructions
- Do not preheat the oven quite yet. This dough must chill before baking.
- Pour the boiling water over the chopped dates, give them a stir with a fork, and set them aside on the counter to cool.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-sale howl for 90 seconds on HIGH. Set the melted butter on the counter to cool.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the white sugar, baking soda, salt, and eggs. Beat well.
- Feel the bowl with the date mixture. If you can hold it comfortably in your hands, add it now and mix thoroughly. If it's too hot, let it cool another couple of minutes.
- Once the dates are mixed in, add the chocolate chips to your bowl and mix. Then add the melted butter and infix thoroughly.
- Add the flour in half-cup increments (that'll be 11 half-cups)' beating after each addition. Take the bowl from the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill. (Overnight is fine, too.)
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F rack in the middle position. (Yes, that's 325°F—most of my cookies bake at 350°F, but these are best if they bake slowly at a lower heat.
- Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. This dough may be sticky, so roll only enough for the cookies you plan to bake immediately and then return the bowl to the refrigerator.
- Roll the dough halls in the howl of white sugar and place them on a greased (or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them slightly with your hand so they won't fall off on the way to the oven.
- Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Yield: 5 to 6 dozen great cookies. You can freeze any extras for up to 3 months in freezer bags.
What would I do differently next time?
If you are a fan of nuts in cookies (I am not!), adding some pecans or walnuts would be good to try.
Lemon Tea Cookies from Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes by Karen Rose Smith
Red ‘N White Strawberry Cookies from The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from Death of a Pumpkin Carver by Lee Hollis
Cocoa Snaps from Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke.
