Perfect book and recipe for lovers. If you love love, the storyline is for you. If you love chocolate, the cookies are for you.
This is book #18 in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. Hannah is fighting battles on all fronts. She has trouble with the law, her mother, and her love life. Author Joanne Fluke turns up the spice in this favorite series. Does Hannah finally decide who the love of her life really is?
Double Fudge Brownie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Maple Fudge Sandwich Cookies
from a cozy mystery:
Double Fudge Brownie Murder
by Joanne Fluke
Book Outline and Tone:
Hannah has more to deal with than just the latest murder in this installment. The previous novel, Blackberry Pie Murder, ended with a cliffhanger of Hannah’s legal trouble following the car accident. Fortunately for the reader, author Joanne Fluke starts this novel where the story left off, Hannah is with her lawyer waiting to meet the judge in her case.
Hannah’s law problems are not the only issue filling the pages of the novel. There is, of course, a murder that Hannah finds herself entangled in, but the biggest entanglement involves Hannah’s love life. Fans of Hannah Swensen know the love triangle well. Are you Team Mike or more logically, Team Norman. Enter Ross Barton, a friend from Hannah’s past that has made an appearance in an earlier novel. Hannah’s mom and Doc seem to play matchmaker and to bring Hannah and Ross together. After spending time together in Las Vegas, their friendship blossoms into romance. Could this be the end of the Minnesota love triangle?
The Best Quote:
“The third voice was hauntingly familiar. It reminded Hannah of someone she couldn’t quite place. She stopped to sniff the perfume of a particularly lovely rose, shut her eyes in pleasure, and listened. Yes, the third voice must belong to Doc’s best man.”
Point of View:
The novel is in third person focusing on Hannah. The reader does learn her thoughts.
The Author: Joanne Fluke
Joanne Fluke published her first Hannah Swensen 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?:
I truly enjoyed the storyline of Hannah and her love life. It seemed like a breath of new life for the character. However, the murder mystery was not as enthralling.
The verdict:
If you love Maple and Chocolate, put these cookies on the top of your “To Bake” list. They are fantastic. I also recommend reading this novel. Hannah’s love life takes us down a new list of possibilities.
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).
Maple Fudge Sandwich Cookies
Assemble the Ingredients
Hannah’s 1st Note: To measure maple syrup, first spray the inside of the measuring cup with a non-stick spray so that the syrup won’t stick to your cup.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you can’t find maple flavoring or maple extract, don’t worry about it. Your cookies will still taste like maple. It just won’t be as intense a flavor.
Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can also mix up these cookies by hand, but it’s easier with an electric mixer.)
Add the softened butter and mix on LOW speed until the butter is combined.
Then turn the mixer up to MEDIUM speed and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and mix until they are well incorporated.
Add the maple syrup,
the maple extract or flavoring, and the vanilla extract. Mix them in thoroughly.
Sprinkle in the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until they are combined.
Mix in the flour a half-cup at a time, beating after each addition.
Take the bowl out of the mixer and scrape down the inside with a rubber spatula. Give the bowl another stir by hand to mix everything into the dough.
Tuck a piece of plastic wrap down around the dough in your bowl. Then stick the whole bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
When your dough has chilled for 1 hour, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Measure out 1/2 cup white (granulated) sugar and place it in a shallow bowl. You’ll use this to coat your dough balls.
Prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or lining them with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Roll the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. (Lisa and I use a 2-teaspoon scooper to do this down at The Cookie Jar.)
Roll the dough balls in the bowl of white sugar and then place them on the prepared cookie sheets, 12 cookie dough balls to a standard-size sheet.
Flatten the cookie dough balls with a metal spatula.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are nicely browned.
Take the cookies out of the oven. Cool them on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, and then remove them to a rack to finish cooling. (If you leave them on the cookie sheets for too long, they’ll stick.)
When all your cookies are baked and they are cooling on wire racks, make the Fudge Filling.
Fudge Filling
Assemble the Ingredients
Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer and bubbles form around the outer edges of the cream.
Break the chocolate into pieces in a small bowl.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: The advantage in using chocolate chips is that you don’t have to break the chips into pieces.
Pour the heated cream over the chocolate (or the chips) in the bowl and sprinkle in the salt. Give it a stir with a heat-resistant spatula and then let it sit on the counter.
Wait a minute or two and then stir the mixture again to combine the cream and the chocolate. Do this until you can stir it smooth.
Let the filling sit on the counter until it cools down to room temperature.
Stir in the powdered sugar. Continue to stir until the Fudge Filling is smooth and spreadable.
When both the cookies and the chocolate filling are cool, make sandwich cookies by spreading a generous layer of filling on the bottom of one cookie and pressing the bottom of a second cookie over the top. Make sure the two flat cookie bottoms touch the filling. (If you make a sandwich by spreading the filling on the rounded tops, you won’t get as much chocolate filling!)
Let the Maple Fudge Sandwich Cookies sit on the wire racks until the Fudge Filling has “set”.
Hannah’s 4th Note: I’m willing to bet that you won’t wait that long. Lisa and I have never managed it!
Yield: Depending on cookie size, approximately 3 to 4 dozen tasty sandwich cookies that both kids and adults will love.
Lisa’s Note: When we make these down at The Cookie Jar they’re gone in ten minutes flat. That’s mostly because Bertie Straub from the Cut ‘n Curl comes in every morning for a cookie.
When she goes back to the beauty shop and tells her ladies that we baked Maple Fudge Sandwich Cookies, they send her back here to buy some for them.
Maple Fudge Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 cups white (granulated) sugar
- 1½ cups salted butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, 3/4 pound), softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp maple extract or flavoring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
- ½ cup white (granulated) sugar for coating the dough balls
Fudge Filling
- ⅓ cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (If you don't have semi-sweet chocolate squares, you can use a 6-ounce by weight package of semi-sweet chocolate chips.)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup powdered (confectioners) sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it-don't sift unless it's got big lumps)
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can also mix up these cookies by hand, but it's easier with an electric mixer.)
- Add the softened butter and mix on LOW speed until the butter is combined. Then turn the mixer up to MEDIUM speed and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and mix until they are well incorporated.
- Add the maple syrup, the maple extract or flavoring, and the vanilla extract. Mix them in thoroughly.
- Sprinkle in the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until they are combined.
- Mix in the flour a half-cup at a time, beating after each addition.
- Take the bowl out of the mixer and scrape down the inside with a rubber spatula. Give the bowl another stir by hand to mix everything into the dough.
- Tuck a piece of plastic wrap down around the dough in your bowl. Then stick the whole bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- When your dough has chilled for 1 hour, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
- Measure out 1/2 cup white (granulated) sugar and place it in a shallow bowl. You'll use this to coat your dough balls.
- Prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or lining them with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roll the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. (Lisa and I use a 2-teaspoon scooper to do this down at The Cookie Jar.)
- Roll the dough balls in the bowl of white sugar and then place them on the prepared cookie sheets, 12 cookie dough balls to a standard-size sheet.
- Flatten the cookie dough balls with a metal spatula.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are nicely browned.
- Take the cookies out of the oven. Cool them on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, and then remove them to a rack to finish cooling. (If you leave them on the cookie sheets for too long, they'll stick.)
- When all your cookies are baked and they are cooling on wire racks, make the Fudge Filling.
Fudge Filling
- Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer and bubbles form around the outer edges of the cream.
- Break the chocolate into pieces in a small bowl.
- Pour the heated cream over the chocolate (or the chips) in the bowl and sprinkle in the salt. Give it a stir with a heat-resistant spatula and then let it sit on the counter.
- Wait a minute or two and then stir the mixture again to combine the cream and the chocolate. Do this until you can stir it smooth.
- Let the filling sit on the counter until it cools down to room temperature.
- Stir in the powdered sugar. Continue to stir until the Fudge Filling is smooth and spreadable.
- When both the cookies and the chocolate filling are cool, make sandwich cookies by spreading a generous layer of filling on the bottom of one cookie and pressing the bottom of a second cookie over the top. Make sure the two flat cookie bottoms touch the filling. (If you make a sandwich by spreading the filling on the rounded tops, you won't get as much chocolate filling!)
- Let the Maple Fudge Sandwich Cookies sit on the wire racks until the Fudge Filling has "set".
- Yield: Depending on cookie size, approximately 3 to 4 dozen tasty sandwich cookies that both kids and adults will love.
What would I do differently next time?
Even with the maple extract, the maple flavor is subtle, next time I will add a bit more maple extract.
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.
