Peppermint Bark Brownies #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon #Christmas

 

 

As you've probably guessed, I'm all about quick and easy under certain circumstances.  At the last minute, I was asked to bring a dessert to our Newcomers Christmas gathering.  This recipe starts with a store bought brownie mix that turns festive with white chocolate icing and crushed candy canes.  As the TV chef Ina Garten would say, "how easy was that?"

1 (18 oz) box brownie mix

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

2 cups white chocolate chips

2 large candy canes or several smaller ones, crushed

 

Prepare pan -- either grease pan with cooking spray or use parchment paper to create a "sling." 

 

Mix brownie mix, vegetable oil and egg in a bowl.  Bake according to package directions. Let cool.

Melt white chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second bursts and stir.  Continue until chips are melted.

Place candy canes in a zip lock bag and use a mallet or other object to crush candy canes into small pieces.

 

Spread melted white chocolate on top of cake.

 Sprinkle candy cane pieces on top. (To speed up the hardening of the chocolate, place in refrigerator.)

 

 

SPEND CHRISTMAS IN CRANBERRY COVE! 

 

 

  

 

When a wealthy local benefactor is slain on the farm, Monica has to figure out who wanted to cash in on the killing . . .

As Sassamanash Farms hunkers down for the long winter, Monica agrees to let the local animal shelter host their Christmas-themed fundraiser there. The draw of the event—a chance to have your pet’s picture taken with Santa—brings in animal lovers from far and wide. But when the crackling fire dies down and the festive holiday props are all carted away, Monica discovers a very un-jolly sight next to the barn—the dead body of one of the shelter’s biggest donors. With the farm’s good name in jeopardy, Monica goes to work to root out the killer.

By all accounts the victim was a charming and generous supporter of the shelter, but Monica discovers that he was loathed by those who knew him for being tight-fisted and unscrupulous. Suspecting money might be the motive, she turns her sights on his stylish wife and her lavish lifestyle, along with the manager of the struggling shelter, who stood to collect a hefty bequest from his will. But as Monica closes in on one final clue, the culprit closes in on her. Caught unawares, she’ll have to survive the brutal winter weather, as well as a cold-blooded killer . . . 

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