Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you form the dough into smaller dough balls, the cookies will be crispier. If you choose to do this, you’ll have to reduce the baking time. If I roll smaller balls, I start checking the Honey Drop Cookies after 8 minutes in the oven.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re nicely browned. The cookies will flatten out, all by themselves. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheets and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Hannah’s 4th Note: Honey Drop Cookies freeze well. Roll them up in foil, the same way you’d roll coins in a wrapper, put them in a freezer bag, and they’ll be fine for 3 months or so.
Michelle’s Note: When I make these at my rented house just off the Macalester campus, I put the rolls in a box and write “FROZEN KIDNEYS FOR HANNAH’S CAT” on the box. So far, none of my roommates, every one of them a cookie hound, has ever opened the box to see what’s inside.
Yield: 8 to 10 dozen, depending on the size of your dough balls, tasty, honey-infused, and delicious cookies.
Chapter Twenty-five
“Big smile,” Michelle said, looking much more confident than Hannah felt at this point in the competition.
Hannah put on the biggest smile she could muster and made a mental note to ask Michelle how she had managed to speak without moving her lips. Did they teach ventriloquism in the acting class at Macalester College? Hannah doubted it, but she’d do her best to remember to ask the minute they were through presenting their cookies and had retired to the greenroom.
As she looked down at the plate Michelle had arranged, Hannah was pleased. Their Butterscotch Sugar Cookies looked wonderful, and so did the crystal dessert dishes Delores had given her. Hannah had filled them with the vanilla cream pudding she’d made. They’d discussed it on their way to the competition and both Hannah and Michelle had decided that their accompaniment for the cookies should be Emmy’s Vanilla Custard, the recipe that Hannah had gotten from Lisa’s late mother. It had been a difficult choice and they’d debated the virtues of Great-Grandma’s Chocolate Pudding and Lisa’s mother’s vanilla custard, but they’d finally agreed that the rich chocolate taste of their great-grandmother’s pudding might mask the mouth-watering scent and taste of their Butterscotch Sugar Cookies.
“The champagne is ready?” Hannah asked, just as soon as one of the Food Channel cameras had moved away from their baking station.
“I de-corked it, or whatever you call it, and it’s in the silver bucket. You deliver the dessert and cookies. I’ll take care of the champagne. I checked with Dick and he taught me how to fill the glasses so they don’t foam over.”
“Do you have a white napkin to use when you serve it?”
“I’ve got it. And Dick also taught me the correct way to wrap it around the champagne bottle.”
“Don’t forget to put the butterscotch liqueur in the bottom of the flutes before you pour in the champagne.”
“I won’t. Sally’s going to be thrilled that we used the same champagne cocktail that she served at Doc and Mother’s wedding reception. How about the coffee?”
“It’s ready to go in the hot carafes.” Hannah gestured toward the serving cart.
“And we’re going to leave it there for the judges to help themselves after we serve the first cup?”
“Yes, exactly the way we did with the Double Rainbow Swirl Wedding Cake.”
“I think that’s a smart move on our part. Then nobody can accuse us of trying to get the judges smashed when we serve coffee, too.”
Hannah turned away slightly to hide her grin from any wandering camera that might be panning across their workstation. “If I thought it would do any good, I would have told you to give each judge two or three glasses of champagne.”
“Really?” Michelle asked.
Hannah could see that her sister was a bit shocked and she rushed to reassure her. “No, of course not. But I really want to win the cookie challenge.”
“You will. Those Butterscotch Sugar Cookies are the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. Sally said she tasted a couple of every one of the practice cookies and ours were the best, hands down.”
Hannah glanced at the judges. Now there were only four of them. To her relief, Helene Stone looked just as friendly as she’d been before. Ross must have done a good job interviewing her.
“Ross just waved at you,” Michelle said, nudging her older sister.
“Thanks.” Hannah smiled and waved back. She wished she could be as confident as Michelle seemed to be, but she was simply too nervous and the butterflies in her stomach had soared into the sky once again.
“Ready?” Michelle asked, as the announcer walked to center stage.