“Okay,” Norman said, turning to Hannah. “I have a proposition for you, Hannah.”
“What’s that?” Hannah took a sip of her coffee, which was lukewarm, and munched one of the cookies that Michelle had just brought to the workstation.
“I’d like to take the Swensen sisters out to dinner tonight. Andrea and Michelle have already accepted.”
Hannah smiled at him. “Then so do I. Thank you, Norman. That would be lovely.”
“I’ll drive,” Norman offered. “Then you’ll all get a real night out. I told Andrea that I’d pick her up at seven, so shall I pick you and Michelle up at six-thirty?”
“That’ll be perfect!” Hannah said, still smiling at the thought of a night out with Norman and her sisters.
*
After Norman left, Michelle picked up the bag of dried cherries. “Are you going to plump these?”
“I think we should. They’ll be juicier that way. I considered using bourbon, but if we’re going to serve them here in the coffee shop, maybe we’d better use maraschino cherry juice. I was planning to put a maraschino cherry half on top of each cookie anyway.”
“That’s always pretty,” Michelle agreed. “Let’s come up with a recipe and try it right now. And if it works, we can give some to Norman and Andrea tonight.”
“Okay.” Hannah glanced up at the clock. “We’ve got two hours before the coffee shop closes. We could probably finish one batch and test them out on the customers that are here.”
“That’s a good idea. They love to test recipes for you. Let’s bake, Hannah! This is going to be fun!”
CHEERY CHERRY COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup dried cherries (or cherry-flavored Craisins) large jar of maraschino cherries without stems 1 cup white (granulated) sugar 1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ? pound)
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 2 large eggs 2 and ? cups all-purpose flour (not sifted—pack it down in the measuring cup)
? cup finely chopped blanched almonds (those are the white ones without brown skins)
? cup maraschino cherry juice 2 cups Cheerios 1 to 2 cups white chocolate or vanilla baking chips
Place the dried cherries in a microwave-safe bowl.
Drain off the juice from the jar of maraschino cherries and pour ? cup of it over the dried cherries in the bowl. Reserve the rest of the cherry juice for later.
Place the bowl in the microwave and heat the dried cherries and juice on HIGH for 90 seconds. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for an additional 90 seconds and then take it out and set it on the kitchen counter.
Stir the dried cherries so the juice is evenly distributed. Then cover the bowl with aluminum foil and let it sit on the counter.
Hannah’s Note: You can mix this cookie dough by hand, but it’s a lot easier with an electric mixer.
Place the white sugar and the brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them together on LOW speed until they’re a uniform color.
Add the softened butter and beat on MEDIUM speed until the sugars and the butter are thoroughly combined.
Increase the speed of your mixer and beat for another minute.
Add the baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix them in thoroughly.
Add the eggs, one by one, beating after each addition.
Add the flour, a half cup at a time, beating after each addition.
Mix in the finely chopped almonds.
Feel the bowl with the dried cherries and juice. If it’s not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, drain off the juice and throw that juice away.
Measure out ? cup of the rest of the reserved cherry juice and add it to your mixing bowl. Mix it in until it’s thoroughly combined.
Place the 2 cups of Cheerios in a Ziploc plastic bag. Crush them with a rolling pin or your hands until the pieces resemble coarse gravel.
Add the crushed Cheerios to your bowl, along with the white chocolate chips. Mix everything up thoroughly.
Scrape down the bowl and take it out of the mixer. Then give the bowl another stir by hand.
Pat the cherries dry with a paper towel and add them to your mixing bowl. Mix them in by hand.
Let the dough sit on the counter for a minute or two to rest while you prepare your cookie sheets.
Spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, line them with parchment paper.
Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your fingers and place them on the cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet.
Cut the maraschino cherries in two and press one half, rounded side up, on the top of each unbaked cookie.
Bake one test cookie at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned on top. If the test cookie spreads out too much on the cookie sheet, either chill the dough in the refrigerator before baking, or turn the dough out on a floured board and knead in approximately ? cup more flour.
When the dough is the proper consistency, bake your cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then remove the cookies to a wire rack until they’re completely cool. (The rack is important—it makes them crisp.)
Yield: approximately 5 to 6 dozen delicious, crunchy cookies, depending on cookie size.
Chapter Twenty-two
There was a light on in her bedroom. She could see it despite the fact that her eyes were closed. Someone had turned on the light . . . but there was no lamp on that side of the bed. There was only the window and . . .
Hannah woke up with a start to see sunlight streaming in her bedroom window. She felt herself begin to panic. What time was it? Was she late for work? Where was Michelle?!