
A very warm welcome to our friend Victoria Hamilton. Victoria writes the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, the Merry Muffin Mysteries, and the Teapot Collector Mysteries.
WHITE COLANDER CRIME, her most recent book, will be in bookstores everywhere tomorrow! Perfectly timed for the holidays, it takes place during a Dickens Days Festival!
Don't miss out on another one of Victoria's amazing giveaways. It includes books and a tote! Scroll to the bottom for the super easy instructions to enter.
I
was raised in a working class home by a assistant nurse mother and
welder/philosopher father. We never went without, but life wasn’t lavish. When
I moved out, working in retail and then a factory, I was quite poor, just getting
by most of the time. It was a gift, really. Some difficult years made me appreciate
the relative comfort of today, and I never forget it.
Baking
supplies were seldom on the grocery list. Who can afford real butter and
chocolate chips on a barely-scraping-by budget? However… I always had brown
sugar and flour in the house. One day we had company, an older acquaintance. I
made brown sugar cookies; not shortbread, I’m sure, because I would have used
margarine, not butter. He raved about
them! They reminded him, he said, of the cookies of his childhood. It made me
feel so good that he liked them, and I’ve never forgotten that sometimes,
simple is… simply wonderful.
These
are not the same recipe, but they’re close, and perhaps even better for the
addition of pecans. These, then, are my Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbreads. They are
buttery and crisp, good with tea and great for every day, or the holiday
season!
Brown
Sugar Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
1
1/2 cups all purpose flour
½
tsp salt
1
cup unsalted butter
2/3
cup brown sugar
½
cup finely chopped pecans (you’ll need almost 2/3 cup whole for ½ cup chopped)
½
tsp pumpkin pie spice (I added this, though it is not necessary, but the hint
of spice is nice!)
½
tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Coarse
Sugar for decorating (optional)
Directions:
1
– Preheat oven to 350
2
– Line cookie sheet with baking parchment.
3
– Stir flour with salt and pumpkin spice in medium bowl.
4
– Chop pecans quite fine.
5
– Beat butter with sugar in large bowl with electric beater until blended.
6
– Gradually stir in half flour mixture until well blended, then add remaining
flour and knead lightly with hands until blended… do not over knead!
7
– Roll out on a floured surface until ¼ inch thick.
8
– Use cookie cutter, or cut into diamonds or rectangles with sharp knife. You
can make fork indentations on them if you like, so they look like classic
shortbread cookies. Lift carefully onto baking sheet
9
- Bake for 12 – 14 minutes – don’t over bake! They should be a light golden
brown. Cool slightly and move to plate.
Cookies
will keep well in an airtight container for up to a week, and can be frozen.
![]() |
Shortbread ingredients. |
![]() |
Mixing shortbread. |
![]() |
Cutting shortbread. |
![]() |
Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbreads |
Photos:
the cookie cutter is vintage, the teapot is new red transferware, and the
cookie plate is vintage unmarked red transferware, just like in the book and on
the cover of White Colander Crime.
The teacup, part of my collection, is vintage Wedgwood, Covent Garden pattern,
though I’ve never seen one with this particular style of saucer.
About the book:
In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of No
Mallets Intended, the Heritage Society is re-creating a perfect Victorian
Christmas—until good tidings
go bad...
Queensville has great expectations for their Dickens Days festival. A tourist-trade boom means a big turnout for the opening of Queensville Historic Manor and for Jaymie Leighton, food columnist and vintage cookware collector, a chance to promote the manor and give away homemade goodies. At the end of a long day of festival fun, Jaymie discovers the battered body of local woman Shelby Fretter.
Shelby predicted her own murder in journal entries—and all clues point to Cody Wainwright, the troubled son of Jaymie’s beleaguered newspaper editor. But considering the entire Fretter family had its share of dirty secrets, Jaymie’s not convinced by the case against Cody. With twists all over, she’s going to have to work like the Dickens to wrap up this investigation before Christmas—especially with the real killer ready to kill again.
INCLUDES A SHORTCUT FRUITCAKE RECIPE!

Queensville has great expectations for their Dickens Days festival. A tourist-trade boom means a big turnout for the opening of Queensville Historic Manor and for Jaymie Leighton, food columnist and vintage cookware collector, a chance to promote the manor and give away homemade goodies. At the end of a long day of festival fun, Jaymie discovers the battered body of local woman Shelby Fretter.
Shelby predicted her own murder in journal entries—and all clues point to Cody Wainwright, the troubled son of Jaymie’s beleaguered newspaper editor. But considering the entire Fretter family had its share of dirty secrets, Jaymie’s not convinced by the case against Cody. With twists all over, she’s going to have to work like the Dickens to wrap up this investigation before Christmas—especially with the real killer ready to kill again.
INCLUDES A SHORTCUT FRUITCAKE RECIPE!
You
can find Victoria online:
Victoria Hamilton Mysteries: http://www.victoriahamiltonmysteries.com
Victoria Hamilton Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaHamilton
VKM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VintageKitchenMysteries
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vintagekitchenm/vintage-kitchen-mysteries-by-victoria-hamilton/
Giveaway!
Comment
for a chance to win this (pictured) super
prize package including:
Books…
White Colander Crime, Death of an
English Muffin and Shadow of a Spout!
A
Cozy up to a good mystery! book tote,
watercolor pencils, tea and more!
Canadian
and US entries welcome. Contest runs November 2nd to Midnight,
November 5th. Please comment with your email address, eg: yournname
(at) yourserver (dot) com.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThese look fantastic! And I'm in the fruitcake recipe. I adore fruitcake. :D
ReplyDeletekadiebleu (at) gmail (dot) com
(now with my email typed correctly)
Shortbread cookies...my favorite! Wonderful set of books! All of them on my must-read list. kat8762@aol.com
ReplyDeleteThe cookies look yummy! Thank you for the recipe and a chance to win.
ReplyDeletemyrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com
This recipe sounds scrumptious and the book sounds great! Thank you for sharing and for the chance at this awesome giveaway!
ReplyDeleteangelhwk68@yahoo.com
What a wonderful flavor of cookie for fall in our run up to Thanksgiving. I love the idea of nibbling though a plate of these, pot of tea on the table and good book in hand.
ReplyDeletelittle lamb lst at yahoo dot com
I'd love to try the fruitcake! I have this book on my wish list. servedogmom@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbread Cookie recipe ... sounds delicious!
ReplyDeletepeggyhyndman(at)att(dot)net
What a lovely reminder that the hard times make us appreciate the good times, Victoria. I love this cover! I would snatch it right off the shelf!
ReplyDeleteI like shortbread but have never made it.
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
I am excited to continue reading this wonderful series. And the recipe shared today sounds delicious. I am very excited to see the fruitcake recipe in the book!
ReplyDeletebreannaherron(at)icloud(dot)com
The cookies look great. The books look even better. Thank you for the chance!
ReplyDeleteMoonbay7399@gmail.com
The recipe sounds as great as the book.
ReplyDeletemichaela_strauch@yahoo.com
Thank you for the give away. I'd like to try the recipe also. suefoster109@netzero.net
ReplyDeleteI've always enjoy your books and always eagerly awaiting new ones.
ReplyDeleteGracious I love the sound of these cookies , and I already love your books , so win , win ! Thank you for such a lovely giveaway ! kathambre@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI'm always looking for good cookie recipes--and ones that aren't chocolate. This recipe sounds just perfect. I'd like to nibble on the cookies while reading your good cozies.
ReplyDeletesuefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
I pinned the recipe to my Pinterest page for future use. The books in your giveaway are making me drool as badly as the shortbread did. I'd love to add them and the bookbag to my collection.
ReplyDeleteNoraAdrienne (at) gmail (dot) com
I love shortbread cookies so I am definitely trying these. they sound perfect to snack on while curled up with a good mystery.
ReplyDeleteeswright18 at gmail dot com
I adore shortbread cookies and will make these to take to work (if I keep them at home, I'll eat all of them myself !). Looking forward to this new book. The library has it on order. hharra (at) bsu (dot) edu.
ReplyDeleteI love cozies, love giveaways, and shortbread cookies. These sound like the ones my grandmother used to make every holiday, and I'm 73 so that was eons ago. BTW, this series is wonderful and I'm awaiting my copy of WHITE COLANDER CRIME. Thanks for the great series.
ReplyDeleteI need to try the shortbread recipe. I love cookies! lkleback@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteHello Victoria, I always look forward to reading all of your books, thanks for writing them! Have a wonderful November Maureen
ReplyDeleteHi, Victoria! LOL the Vintage Kitchen series has inspired me to love my own vintage (okay, old) kitchen. I used to want to remodel it, Now I just want to furnish it with vintage items and brands! I suppose it's a little cheaper, LOL! Love shortbread - I can't make pie crust to save myself, but I can make shortbread. Odd, hmm? My email is phenomshel at live dot com.
ReplyDeleteButtery shortbread with pecans? I think I'm in heaven.
ReplyDeletelibbydodd at comcast dot net
Great prize package!! This cookie recipe makes my mouth water it sounds so yummy. jawdance@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe! I love brown sugar, pecans, and shortbread. I'm planning to make them for the man I love and his front office staff. They should be a hit. White Colander Crime on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteOooh.. let me know how that turns out!
DeleteEven after too much Halloween candy, these cookies made me really hungry. Thanks for the chance to win. doward1952@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteWould love to win! Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful giveaway. Can't wait to try the cookies.
ReplyDeleteI love a nice shortbread and this recipe looks divine. I can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteharbingerdc(at)gmail(dot)com
I love this series and would love to win this wonderful prize package. The recipe looks amazing too!! Than k you for the chance.
ReplyDeletefrauenb@aol.com
Have to try the pecan shortbread cookies! I love most anything with pecans as I grew up on a pecan grove.
ReplyDeleteGatorgirl56 at gmail dot com
This would be awesome to win! moriah93ohio(at)yahoo(dot).com
ReplyDeleteYour cookies sound good. I can't wait to try them. My mom made icebox cookies. Another simple cookie made with ingredients most have in their kitchens other than the nuts. I'd love to win your prize package. lkish77123 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteLinda... icebox cookies! The kind with candied fruit in them? I had forgotten about them. Maybe I'll make them to give away this Christmas to friends.
DeleteI love shortbread, and your cookies sound amazing. Your china is lovely--I especially like the Covet Garden cup and saucer. Thank you for such a great giveaway! bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteI love teacups and saucers! This was a thrift store find... Wedgwood for $3.99!!
DeleteThank you so much for the recipe I am going to try that. I am looking forward to reading this, thanks for the review, Penney
ReplyDeletepenneyw(AT)sbcglobal(DOT)net