LUCY BURDETTE: I’m delighted to bring my writing pal Christine Falcone to the blog today. I’m especially thrilled because she will have book 2 in her Melanie Bass mystery series out next month, and, because she brings us cookies! Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of Ex’d Out. Welcome Chris!
CHRISTINE FALCONE: Thank you Lucy for inviting me here today on Mystery Lovers Kitchen. It isn’t as if the main character in my mystery series, visiting nurse Melanie Bass, can’t cook. As a matter of fact, she feels she is a good cook. However, since her divorce a few years previously, after work she tends to grab quick meals rather than doing a lot of cooking and baking. This is beginning to change, however, as in the latest book, BORROWED TROUBLE, she now has a boyfriend to impress. One of the things I think she might make for her new sweetheart is sugar cookies, especially since her involvement in solving crimes is often a sour note in their relationship.
I have a recipe for sugar cookies I inherited from my Irish grandmother—as well as a couple of her original metal cookie cutters! These cookies are a favorite of my children and grandchildren alike. The other day my grandson who is in college called me to ask for the recipe. He needs it for a globalization class he is taking where they discuss ancestry and tradition. The cookies are usually a tradition at Christmas at our house – all my children would help cut out and decorate them when they were younger, and then my grandson took over that task. These cookies are great whatever the season, however, depending on the cookie cutters you use.
Ingredients for the cookies:
½ cup Irish butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp milk
1 ½ cup flour – plus ¼ cup (or as needed) to roll out
Colored granulated sugar for decorating
Mix the butter and sugar, then add egg, milk, and vanilla, and mix that in.
Sift together dry ingredients in another bowl.
Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix well.
Roll out and cut. (I usually refrigerate dough for about 1 hour or even overnight to make easier to handle)
After cutting out cookies decorate with colored granulated sugar and place them on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 for seven to ten minutes.
The recipe says it makes 18 cookies, but I have found it depends on the size of your cookie cutters. (And I usually double the recipe!)
Leave a comment about your family’s favorite cookie recipe to be entered in the drawing for Ex’d Out!
About BORROWED TROUBLE: After the murder of her ex-husband is solved, visiting nurse Melanie Bass is confident she will never again cross paths with Detective Sunny Cody. She is shocked when the detective suddenly shows up on her doorstep to ask Melanie for a favor. What starts out as an assignment Detective Cody assures her is quick and simple, instead soon puts Melanie, her dog Bruno, and Detective Cody herself in serious jeopardy. Melanie quickly becomes increasingly enmeshed in an investigation involving drugs, lies, and danger.
To make things worse, Melanie’s good friend Lynn Duncan is being stalked by an unknown man, and Melanie’s love life is threatened by her commitment to helping Detective Cody. While compelled by what she feels is a moral and personal obligation to be involved with Detective Cody’s investigation, Melanie must also find a balance in her personal life and avoid putting her life in further jeopardy.
About the author: Christine Falcone’s short stories have appeared in publications such as Imagine, Larcom Review, and Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England writers. After working for nearly forty years as an RN in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Christine is delighted that retirement coincided with the publication of her first full length mystery, EX’D OUT, published in October 2022. The second in the series, BORROWED TROUBLE will be out in October 2023. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
She lives on the Connecticut Shoreline with her family and a dog who is not nearly as well behaved as Bruno, the beloved canine in her novel. Read more on Facebook and Christine’s website.
Buy the book on Amazon
Or bookshop
Chocolate crinkle cookies are the most popular holiday cookies that I make each year.
ReplyDeleteGrace I don't think you can go wrong with anything chocolate!
DeleteI loved the pumpkin cookies that my parents made every fall. They were so yummy and moist. Thank you for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteMelanie might appreciate the recipe for those cookies! This book ( as you might guess from the cover) takes place in October.
DeleteBeth's cookies - which was a bit like a shortbread/sugar cookie w/ a spot of jelly in the middle and white icing around the edge.
ReplyDeletefruitcrmble AT comcast DOT net
These sound fantastic!
DeleteWe like chocolate chip cookies , sugar cookies with sprinkles, and gingerbread cookies!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Haven't made gingerbread cookies in years, but the toll house are also a favorite in our house!
DeleteCongratulations on the upcoming release of BORROWED TROUBLE! Always thrilled to find a new to me author. Following you now everywhere and can't wait for the opportunity to read and review your books.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recipe! Sugar cookies bring back such wonderful memories for me. It was also a tradition of fixing them during the Christmas holidays. We would help Mom pick out the shapes, Then after baking, my brother and I would spend half the day icing and decorating them. We would have several bowls of colored icing and all sorts of sprinkles and candies to do so. Looking back, I think Mom was very smart. Not only did we product cookies we enjoyed making and took pride in, but she also had a way to keep us occupied and not arguing like siblings do for half of a day during school break. :)
In our home, cookies are the main go to. We would just as soon if not more so select a cookie to bake over a cake or pie. My favorite cookie is similar to a sugar cookie, but rolled a little thicker and not as crunchy as a regular sugar cookie. It's my Granny's recipe for Tea Cakes that are served either plan or may have a slight dusting of sugar on just before baking. Hubby's favorite is Snickerdoodles with extra cinnamon. Of course you can't go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie base because you can change it up so much. You can change the flavor of the chips or you can add things like nuts, cranberries, oats.
Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy of EX’D OUT! Shared and hoping to be the extremely fortunate one selected.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Kay - you are making hungry with the mention of all these wonderful cookies! My daughter's favorite variation on the chocolate chip cookie is one where you add crushed potato chips, pretzels, and peanuts. I have heard them called by several names, but we just call them everything cookies.
DeleteOh my! I just might have to whip up some like those and give them a try. Thanks for the idea!
DeleteOur favorite cookie recipe is Buckeyes—chocolate covered peanut butter balls—but you must add the rice crispies for the extra crunch!
ReplyDeleteI love cozy mysteries. They are my go-to
Caryn- I love peanut butter cookies and these sound delicious!
DeleteNice to meet you, Christine! Thank you for the recipe for your delicious looking cookies! Our family is addicted to Pecan Tassies at Christmastime. We make about 7 or 8 varieties of cookies, but the Pecan Tassies are the first to be eaten. They are mini pecan pies that are relatively easy to make, but are time consuming. We love them. I shall try to bake yours and hope they become favorites also. I can't wait to read EX'D OUT and BORROWED TROUBLE!!! Luis at ole dot travel
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy the books! My favorite pie at Thanksgiving is pecan pie so I know I would love Pecan Tassies!
DeleteWe always make cut out sugar cookies and decorate them. Another favorite is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds so good! Thanks for the chance!
jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
Good luck on winning the book! One funny thing I have found in making these sugar cookies is that some shapes work better then others - many an elf has come out looking like a frightening blob.
DeleteCongratulations on the new book! Sounds wonderful and so do the cookies. Our favorite cookies are the chocolate chip ones from my mom's old recipe. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, and Congratulations on the new book. LOVE cookies. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading! Hope you like both the cookies and the books.
DeleteWhat is the difference between Irish butter and butter in the US?
ReplyDeleteIt says Irish butter on it! Really, though, you can certainly use butter from the US. I actually think my grandmother did.
DeleteOne grandma's chocolate chip cookies and my other grandma's Twix bar cookies. Cut out cookies sugar cookies for Christmas are a must, we use my cousin's wife's recipe and it makes a huge batch. My mom has tons of cookie cutters, even a few her grandpa made himself. Then I also like to try one new recipe along with it at the holidays. The last couple years were hot chocolate cookies and Cool Whip crinkle cookies. Haven't picked anything yet for this year, might have to try this one. Your books are new to me so I'll be trying those too.
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you - hope you enjoy the books. Those cool whip crinkle cookies sound interesting!
DeleteKrumkaker shaped like an ice cream cone. Great with ice cream or a creme filling. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteIce cream in a cookie - what's better than that! Good luck with the book raffle Kim.
DeleteCongratulations! My family favorite is sugar cookies. This year I'll try your recipe-I bet the Irish butter makes all the difference. Thank you for the chance to win. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteHope you like the recipe. As I said in a previous message I used Kerry Gold butter and the cookies came out great, but I'm sure you can use any butter that you would like and they will be fine.
DeleteEvery Christmas my daughter and I make Christmas tree cookies with a cookie press. I started making them as a kid and have made them every Christmas.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a great tradition!
DeleteEvery year my Aunt Becky would make sugar cookies with icing and assorted toppings. She would use cookie cutters to make different shapes.
ReplyDeleteThose cookies were always a holiday staple growing up. It was always a treat for my aunt to show up with her cookies at Christmas time.
How wonderful! Even though I haven't done it over the past two years or so, I would make the first batch of sugar cookies the day after Thanksgiving. This was the official start of the Christmas season. I have to get back to doing it this year!
DeleteMy sister makes really good butter cookies with different cookie cutter’s depending on the season/occasion.
ReplyDeleteWskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love butter cookies, too. I found with my recipe the cookie cutters that work best are "hollow" one - just the shape, no design. The dough sticks to the ones with the design built in and i end up with a mess!
DeleteWelcome, Christine! I have those cookie cutters, too -- they were my mother's!
ReplyDeleteThey are the best! A couple fell apart over the years and the newer ones aren't as good!
DeleteYes, those cookie cutters are very familiar!
ReplyDeleteI love to bake cookies and other sweet treats. Sadly, there aren't enough people here to eat them. The pressure is then on me to eat enough of them to justify making them before they have to be thrown out!
libbydodd at comcast dot net
I hope that every once in a while you give in to that pressure and indulge! Cookies are so comforting.
ReplyDeleteI fall in with a long line of women who cooked and baked only when absolutely necessary, but I love a good culinary cozy. My mother did have one no-bake cookie recipe that we begged her to make at least once a month - something with cornflakes and peanuts and caramel and peanut butter - they were super easy to make and SO delicious!
ReplyDeleteYou can't argue with anything that is easy and delicious!
DeleteMy grandmother made the best date nut cookies. Thank you for the recipe, and this chance.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in the drawing for the book!
DeleteIt is just not Christmas around here without pizzelles. My favorite are the standard anise flavored, but almond and lemon go fast too. I have tried a chocolate variety and everyone loves them, but they get really sticky in the press and are a challenge to get baked and cleaned up after. Spritz cookies shaped like Christmas trees are always fun too! Congrats on the new release. makennedyinaz at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves pizzelles - my mother-in-law used to make them for Christmas but I'm afraid I have never tackled them.
DeleteWelcome to the kitchen, Christine! Looking forward to your books. I love the artwork on the cover of Borrowed Trouble.
ReplyDeleteThank you Molly, I was really pleased with the cover myself.
DeleteMy grandmother could bake like a wizard. My favorites of her delectable biscuits are rugalech, lemon biscuits and shortbread cookies. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI have to say that the only cookies I remember my grandmother making were the sugar cookies, but I'm sure she made others- the sugar cookies stood out however. I also remember her excellent hot cross buns at Easter!
DeleteHow wonderful that you have a couple of your grandmother's cookie cutters!
ReplyDeleteYes Vera, they are my favorites to use when i bake the cookies.
DeleteMom used to make her mother-in-law's recipe for butterscotch cookies. It is a drop cookie and we found if you covered them while they were cooling on a platter they'd stay nice and soft. Perfect for those days your braces were tightened. patdupuy@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThat's a good tip to keep soft cookies soft - thanks!
DeleteI have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is my own version and everyone absolutely loves them
ReplyDeleteBe sure to pass on the recipe to your family!
DeleteButter spritz cookies made by my dad and my husband's favorites he made with his mother. We both inherited their mirro cookie presents and I inherited my dad's metal cookies cutters like the one pictured here on the post! They have been holiday favorites that we made with our children and now our grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteI think being able to use cookie cutters passed down from parents and grandparents really add to the tradition.
DeleteI think that having the inherited cookie cutters really adds to the feeling of tradition!
DeleteMy favorite cookie is the walnut sugar cookies we make every Christmas.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Walnut sugar cookies! Those sound delicious!
DeleteWalnut sugar cookies! They sound delicious!
DeleteWalnut sugar cookies! Those sound great!
DeleteMy cookies and cream flavored cookies are a family favorite for my cookie platters. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThey sound similar to the oreo balls my daughter makes at Christmas. In any case - I love the cookies and cream combo!
DeleteMy mother would make Pecan Puff cookies every Christmas! It became a favorite of my whole family. I have taken over making them since my mom has passed.
ReplyDeleteI bet you think of your Mother every time you make them, too. I love pecan, and these sound delicious.
DeleteLove to make pumkin cookies with real pumkin
ReplyDeletePumpkin cookies always smell like fall while they are baking, don't they?
DeleteCrescent cookies or Mexican Wedding cookies deborahortega229@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI have a recipe for mexican wedding cookies - I haven't made them in a while, but now you have reminded me of them maybe i will this year!
DeleteChocolate chips cookies are the one requested most, then cowboy cookies which are chocolate chip with oatmeal (lol). email kotzt77@ gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy family loves chocolate chip, and the cowboy cookies sound very interesting!
DeleteMy favorite cookie is a sugar cookie. My husband likes chocolate chip but even when I make them I eat the cookies that have only a few chips. I like plain cookies!
ReplyDeletesharonquilts148@gmail.com
You can tell, sugar cookies are one of my very favorite also.
DeleteI like sugar cookies with frosting especially during the holidays! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteIt is Angel Wing cookies. It is a recipe I got from my Grandmother. My daughters and I make them every year.
ReplyDeleteWe love to make no-bake cookies, they are amazing.
ReplyDelete