This book tells the story of how Hannah opened The Cookie Jar bakery. In addition to recipes for cakes, these delicious Cashew Butter Blossom Cookie are a highlight with a chocolate kiss and cashews instead of peanuts. The Cashews give the cookie a more mild taste and reflect the creamy richness of a cashew.
This is book #23 of the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series. In this novel the reader discovers how Hannah decided to open The Cookie Jar. We also learn that the murder of The Chocolate Chip Cookie murder was not the first crime that Hannah puzzled over.
Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Cashew Butter Blossom Cookies
from a cozy mystery novel:
Christmas Cake Murder
by Joanne Fluke
Outline and Tone:
The book before this one, Raspberry Danish Murder ended with a great cliff hanger. I was excited to read the next book and see how everything played out, but author JoanneFluke is smart. This enjoyable holiday treat is not set sequential to the series. Christmas Cake Murder takes place before Hannah even opened her bakery The Cookie Jar. Readers will learn what motivated Hannah to open the bakery and how her mom, Delores, played a role in that decision.
While Hannah does some sleuthing after a murder occurs, the novel is not centered around this mystery. Far more time is spent giving the reader Hannah’s origin story and telling the tale of Essie, a retired librarian who is beloved in Lake Eden. It comes to light that she has been living without electricity in Minnesota. How can that be? Delores organizes a fundraiser for Essie’s housing and recreates the famous Christmas Cake Parade. While I’m not sure if this is something that actually takes place in Minnesota, the idea is intriguing.
The Best Quote:
“By the time a second round was fired, Hannah had pinpointed the location of the shooter by the flash from the muzzle of the gun. Luckily, she was only a few feet away. She plucked a miniature Bundt cake from the top of the Christmas cake and threw it toward the origin of the gunfire as har as she could/ She heard a gasp as the cake hit its mark and she threw a second cake, and a third and a fourth as the lights began to come on.”
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.
What is not to like?:
The only thing that I did not enjoy about this book was that it didn’t pick up with Raspberry Danish Murder left off. I enjoyed the holiday story, but now I’m ready to get back to where the storyline left off.
The verdict:
This book could be a complete stand alone. It would be a good introduction to cozy mysteries and the wonderful recipes that can be found in them.
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).
Cashew Butter Blossom Cookies
Assemble the Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, lining them with parchment paper, or as I do, use a silicone baking mat.
Hannah’s 1st Note:
This recipe is easiest to make if you use an electric mixer to prepare this dough.
Coarsely chop the cashews.
Place the white sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Add the softened butter and mix on LOW until it’s well blended, then beat on MEDIUM speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Mix in the half-cup of cashew butter and beat on MEDIUM speed until it is well incorporated.
Hannah’s 2nd Note:
Cashew butter is easier to measure if you spray the inside of the measuring cup with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and also spray the blade of your rubber spatula.
Pack the cashew butter down in the cup and level it off with the prepared spatula. The cooking spray makes it easier to get all the cashew butter out of your measuring cup. You can also use this pre-sprayed cup to measure the molasses.
Mix in the vanilla extract and the molasses. Beat until they are well incorporated.
With the mixer running on LOW speed, sprinkle in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
Add the finely chopped cashews to the bowl and mix them in on LOW.
Add the beaten eggs and mix those in thoroughly.
Mix in the all-purpose flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Hannah’s 3rd Note:
If you mix in your 4 cups of flour all at once, you may find it spews out of the bowl when you turn on your mixer and you end up with flour all over your kitchen floor!
Mix until all your ingredients are thoroughly blended and then shut off your mixer and scrape down the bowl.
Take the bowl out of the mixer.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with your rubber spatula and give your Cashew Butter Blossom Cookie dough a final stir by hand.
Let the dough firm up for a few minutes on your kitchen counter as you sit down and enjoy a couple of the Hershey’s Kisses or chocolate stars.
Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet.
Press the Hershey’s Kisses or chocolate stars, point up, into the middle of your cookie balls, flat side down. They’ll look like flowers or blossoms after they’re baked and that’s why they’re called Cashew Butter Blossom Cookies.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn turn golden.
(Don’t worry-The chocolate won’t melt in that length of time.)
Cool your cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to wire racks to finish cooling.
Hannah’s 4th Note:
If you used parchment paper on your cookie sheets, just pull it off the cookie sheet, cookies and all, and onto a wire rack. The cookies can cool right on the paper.
Yield: Makes approximately 8 dozen delicious cookies, depending on the size of the cookie dough balls.
You can cut this recipe in half, but if you do, use ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
Cashew Butter Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups white (granulated) sugar
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks) softened
- ½ cup cashew butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp molasses
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup finely chopped salted cashews
- 2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
- 13 oz. bag Hershey's Kisses (or milk chocolate stars)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
- Prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray or lining them with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats.
- Place the white sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Add the softened butter and mix on LOW until it's well blended, then beat on MEDIUM speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Mix in the half-cup of cashew butter and beat on MEDIUM speed until it is well incorporated.
- Pack the cashew butter down in the cup and level it off with the prepared spatula. The cooking spray makes it easier to get all the cashew butter out of your measuring cup. You can also use this pre-sprayed cup to measure the molasses.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and the molasses. Beat until they are well incorporated.
- With the mixer running on LOW speed, sprinkle in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
- Add the finely chopped cashews to the bowl and mix them in on LOW.
- Add the beaten eggs and mix those in thoroughly
- Mix in the all-purpose flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
- Mix until all your ingredients are thoroughly blended and then shut off your mixer and scrape down the bowl.Take the bowl out of the mixer.Scrape down the sides of the bowl with your rubber spatula and give your Cashew Butter Blossom Cookie dough a final stir by hand.
- Let the dough firm up for a few minutes on your kitchen counter as you sit down and enjoy a couple of the Hershey's Kisses or chocolate stars.
- Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet.
- Press the Hershey's Kisses or chocolate stars, point up, into the middle of your cookie balls, flat side down. They'll look like flowers or blossoms after they're baked and that's why they're called Cashew Butter Blossom Cookies.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden.(Don't worry-The chocolate won't melt in that length of time.)
- Cool your cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Yield: Makes approximately 8 dozen delicious cookies, depending on the size of the cookie dough balls. You can cut this recipe in half, but if you do, use ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
What would I do differently next time?
These are great rich cookies and the cashews give it a mild nut flavor. I might add some extra chopped cashews on top.
Enjoy these other cookie recipes.
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.
