Lorna Barrett must be absolutely crazy. Why else would she write three different
mystery series? In addition to the New
York Times bestselling and Agatha-nominated Booktown Mysteries, she writes the bestselling
Victoria Square Mysteries as Lorraine Bartlett, and as L.L. Bartlett the Jeff
Resnick Mysteries. You can find MURDER
ON THE HALF SHELF at most bookstores and online.
And now -- Lorna!
One of the things I like best and least about the Booktown
Mysteries are the recipes. The best part
-- is testing and eating them. The worst
part? Testing and eating them and
GAINING POUNDS. I know I’m not the only
guest to post here on Mystery Lovers Kitchen to say that, but it’s true. And when it comes to candy -- watch out!
Because my heroine Tricia Miles doesn’t really cook, I
needed an easy recipe with only a few ingredients. Tricia had everything on hand, and her
sister, Angelica (who’s known for her cookbook store, her retro café, and as a
bestselling cookbook author) showed her how to make this lovely toffee
recipe. It’s ready to eat in just over and
hour. (I know--the waiting is murder,
but it does need to harden in the fridge.)
This recipe is terrific any time of year, but especially at
the holidays. It’ll look like you fussed
for hours.
Simply Crackers Candy
One “sleeve” of saltine crackers (about 35)
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 cup brown sugar
1 11.5 ounce package of chocolate chips*
¾ cups chopped walnuts* (optional)
Line a baking tray with foil and cover with saltine
crackers. Boil butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes until frothy. Pour over the
crackers.
Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. The butter/sugar mixture will
bubble. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let set for
five minutes. Spread chocolate with spatula, and sprinkle with nuts. (Gently
press the nuts into the chocolate.) Refrigerate at least 1 hour; break into
pieces. (Refrigerate the leftovers . . . if there are any.)
*I use milk chocolate chips, but you can vary the recipe
with semi-sweet chocolate and even peanut butter-flavored chips.
Please visit Lorna’s website
(http://www.LornaBarrett.com) or her Dazed and Confused blog:
http://www.LornaBarrett.blogspot.com You
can find her on Facebook at http:www.Facebook.com/LornaBarrett.author
Thanks for visiting Lorna--I have always wanted this recipe:). And look forward to reading the book!
ReplyDeleteLucy, you're lucky. You got the recipe before you read the book. I started reading the book and then she talked about the recipe and I wanted to try it, but didn't want to go to the back of the book to find it in fear that I would find out whodoneit before I got to the end. Solution to the problem was to read faster and get to the end. I did and made the candy and LOVED it. Problem is now I'm done with the book and there's not another one in the series yet to read. :)
ReplyDeleteMmmm, does this look tasty!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us today, Lorraine. Salted sweets are all the rage right now, and this recipe makes it so easy to add that little hint of saltiness to the chocolate. What a terrific homemade gift this would make.
ReplyDelete~ Krista
Lorna, Lorraine, LL :)
ReplyDeleteThe salt is probably perfect with the sugar! I love a bacon and chocolate morsel that I make. This will be a go-to for the family! Thanks for sharing and what a beautiful cover on your latest! You go, girl.
Daryl aka Avery (who understands multiple personalities) LOL
So glad to have been invited to post today. Hope you enjoy the toffee.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to get these ingredients and make this RIGHT NOW! Oh, yummy!
ReplyDelete