Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Caution: If you plan to decorate these cupcakes for Easter, make the Easter grass nest before you start to mix up your cupcake batter. It will need time to dry before you frost and decorate these cupcakes.

  Dump the 2 cups of flaked coconut into a large plastic ziplock bag. Hold the bag open and add three drops of green food coloring to the coconut. Squeeze out some of the air and seal the bag.

  Toss the coconut around inside the bag. Squeeze it, play catch with it, roll it around on the counter, whatever. The object is to evenly color the coconut. It should be the color of grass. If it’s too light, add a few more drops of green food coloring and repeat the mixing process until you think it’s right.

  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and dump out the green-colored coconut. Use a spoon to spread it out as evenly as you can. Let it sit out on the counter to dry, stirring it around every so often.

  Now that you’ve colored your coconut, it’s time to actually MAKE your cupcakes.

  Prepare your cupcake pans. You’ll need two 12-cup cupcake or muffin pans lined with double cupcake papers.

  Place the cup of uncolored coconut flakes in the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade attached.

  Sprinkle the 2 Tablespoons of flour on top of the coconut.

  Process with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the coconut flakes are cut into very small pieces.

  Place the chopped coconut flakes in a small bowl on the kitchen counter. You will add them to your cupcake batter later.

  Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed until they are light and fluffy, and are a uniform color.

  Pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil and the milk. Mix them in with the eggs on LOW speed. Continue to mix for one minute or until thoroughly mixed.

  Shut off the mixer and add the cup (8 ounces) of sour cream. Mix it in on LOW speed.

  Add the coconut extract and the vanilla extract. Mix them in on LOW speed.

  Shut off the mixer and add the chopped coconut flakes to your mixing bowl. Mix them in on LOW speed for one minute or until the coconut pieces are thoroughly mixed in.

  When everything is well combined, shut off the mixer and open the box of dry white cake mix.

  Sprinkle in HALF of the dry cake mix to the mixing bowl.

  Turn the mixer on LOW speed and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, or until everything is well combined.

  Shut off the mixer and sprinkle in the 2nd HALF of the dry cake mix. Mix it in thoroughly on LOW speed.

  Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

  Open the package of instant vanilla pudding and pie filling and sprinkle in the contents. Mix it in on LOW speed.

  Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and remove it from the mixer. Set it on the counter.

  Sprinkle the white chocolate or vanilla baking chips into your bowl and stir them in by hand with a rubber spatula or with a mixing spoon.

  Use the rubber spatula or a scooper to transfer the cake batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Fill the cups three-quarters full.

  Smooth the top of your cupcakes with the spatula and place them in the center of your preheated oven.

  Bake your Easter Jelly Bean Nest Cupcakes at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes.

  Before you take your cupcakes out of the oven, test for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick into the middle of one cupcake. If the tester comes out clean and with no cupcake batter clinging to it, your cupcakes are done. If there is still unbaked batter on the tester, shut the oven door and bake your cupcakes for 5 minutes longer.

  Take your cupcakes out of the oven and set the pans on cold stove burners or wire racks. Leave them in the pans until they cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes before you frost them. (Overnight is fine, too.)

  Frost your chilled cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting. (Recipe and instructions follow.)

  Yield: Approximately 18 to 24 cupcakes, depending on cupcake size.

  To Serve: These cupcakes can be served at room temperature or chilled. They’re very rich, so be sure to accompany them with tall glasses of icy-cold milk or cups of strong, hot coffee.

  COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened to room temperature

  8-ounce (net weight) package softened, brick-style cream cheese (I used Philadelphia in the silver package.)

  1 teaspoon coconut extract

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  4 to 4 and ½ cups confectioners (powdered) sugar (no need to sift unless it’s got big lumps)

  To Make the Frosting:

  Mix the softened butter with the softened cream cheese until the resulting mixture is well blended.

  Add the coconut and vanilla extracts and mix them in thoroughly.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Do this next step at room temperature. If you heated the cream cheese and the butter to soften them, make sure your mixture has cooled to room temperature before you complete the next step.

  Add the confectioners sugar in half-cup increments, stirring thoroughly after each addition, until the frosting is of proper spreading consistency. (You’ll use all, or almost all, of the powdered sugar.)

  Use a frosting knife or a small rubber spatula to place a dollop of frosting in the center of the top of your cupcakes. Then spread it out almost to the edges of the cupcake paper.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you spread the frosting all the way out to the edge of the cupcake, your guests will get frosting on their fingers when they peel off the cupcake papers and they’ll have to wash or lick their fingers. Kids enjoy this. Adults, not so much.

  To Decorate:

  Place the dried green coconut “grass” in a bowl. Immediately, before your frosting “sets” and hardens, use your impeccably clean fingers and make a circle of coconut “grass” on the top of each frosted cupcake.

  Arrange 5 jelly beans of different colors in your green coconut nest. Press them down so that they will be held in place when your frosting “sets” and hardens.

  Leave your Easter Jelly Bean Nest Cupcakes out on the counter until the frosting has “set.” Then you may place them in a cake pan or box, cover the pan or box with plastic wrap, and store them in your refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.

  If you have frosting left over, spread it on graham crackers, soda crackers, or what Great-Grandma Elsa used to call store-boughten cookies. This frosting can also be covered tightly and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. When you want to use it, let it sit on the kitchen counter, still tightly covered, for an hour or so, or until it reaches room temperature and it is spreadable again.

  This frosting also works well in a pastry bag, which brings up all sorts of interesting possibilities for decorating cakes or cookies.

  If you have jelly beans left over, it’s fun to sprinkle them around the centerpiece on your Easter dining room table in case anyone passing by wants a little sweet treat.

  BUTTERSCOTCH MARSHMALLOW BAR COOKIES

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  Ingredients for the Crust:

  ½ cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound)

  1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate (I used Baker’s)

  ½ cup white (granulated) sugar

  1 cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 cup chopped salted cashews (measure AFTER chopping)

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 eggs lightly beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

  Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling:

  8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature (buy an 8-ounce package—you’ll use 6 ounces for this layer and the remaining 2 ounces for the frosting)

  ¼ cup softened, salted butter (½ stick, 2 ounces)

  ¼ cup white (granulated) sugar />
  2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (that’s cup)

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 beaten egg (just whip it up in a glass with a fork)

  ½ cup chopped nuts (I used salted cashews)

  1 cup butterscotch chips (I used Nestlé)

  2 cups miniature marshmallows (I used Jet-Puffed)

  Before you start to make these bar cookies, prepare your baking pan. Spray the bottom and insides of a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, and then lightly flour the bottom and sides of the pan.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Alternatively, you can spray the inside of the baking pan with Pam Baking Spray, which already contains flour. Spray your pan once, let it dry for a minute or two, and then spray it a second time.

  To Make the Crust:

  Place the salted butter and the square of unsweetened chocolate in a saucepan on a stovetop burner.

  Turn the burner on LOW heat and stir just until the chocolate melts. (You can do this in the microwave if you prefer—just read the directions for melting the chocolate that are given on the box.)

  Once the chocolate and butter have melted, pour the mixture into a mixing bowl.

  Sprinkle in the cup of white sugar and stir it in thoroughly.

  Sprinkle in the cup of all-purpose flour and stir that in.

  Sprinkle in the teaspoon of baking powder and stir until it is combined.

  If you haven’t already done so, chop the salted cashews into smaller pieces about the size of gravel. (I use my food processor with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion to do this.)

  Measure out one cup of the chopped, salted cashews and add them to the mixing bowl. Stir them in until they are thoroughly combined.

  Add the teaspoon of vanilla extract to your bowl and stir it in.

  Add the beaten eggs and stir until everything is well combined.

  Use a rubber spatula or your impeccably clean hands to spread the crust out in your prepared baking pan.

  To Make the Cream Cheese Filling:

  Cut 2 ounces off of the brick of cream cheese and place in a small bowl on the counter reserving it for the frosting. (That’s one-quarter of the package.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

  Rinse out your mixing bowl with hot water, dry it with paper towels, and get ready to use it again. (Can you tell that I don’t like to wash dishes, even in the dishwasher?)

  Place the 6-ounce piece of the softened cream cheese and the softened butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.

  If your cream cheese isn’t soft enough to stir, heat it in a microwave-safe bowl for 10 to 20 seconds until you can stir it. If your next ingredient, the butter, is still cold, you can throw that in when you heat the cream cheese and do both together. 20 seconds on HIGH in the microwave should be long enough to soften both of them, if not, give it a little more time.

  Once the cream cheese and the butter are softened and placed in the mixer bowl, turn the mixer on LOW speed and mix them together thoroughly.

  With the mixer still running on LOW speed add the quarter-cup of white sugar to your cream cheese and butter mixture. Mix that in thoroughly.

  Leave the mixer running on LOW speed and sprinkle in the 2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Mix that in thoroughly.

  Again, with the mixer still running, drizzle in the half-teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix it in.

  Next, with the mixer still running, add the beaten egg to the mixer bowl. Then add the chopped cashews and mix until everything is well combined.

  Spread the cream cheese filling over the crust. Use a rubber spatula to smooth it out.

  Sprinkle the cup of butterscotch chips over the top. Do this as evenly as you can.

  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took 23 minutes.)

  Take the pan out of the oven and move it to a cold stovetop burner. DON’T SHUT OFF THE OVEN!

  Sprinkle the top of the pan with the miniature marshmallows.

  Slip the pan back into the oven and bake for an additional 2 minutes.

  While the marshmallows are baking, start your frosting. (Your bar cookies will come out of the oven before you’re through making the frosting, but that’s okay.)

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: These bar cookies are very rich, even without the frosting. If you wish, you can leave off the frosting. If you decide to do this, simply sprinkle a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of the melted marshmallows when the pan comes out of the oven, and quickly cover the pan with a cookie sheet or a sheet of heavy-duty foil tucked in around the sides of the pan. Leave the cookie sheet or foil in place for 2 minutes. This will cause the chocolate chips to melt. After 2 minutes, take off the cookie sheet or foil and use a heat-resistant rubber spatula to swirl the chocolate over the melted marshmallows.

  To Finish Your Bar Cookies:

  When you can handle the pan without using pot holders, slip it into the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving. (This makes the bars less crumbly and easier to cut.)

  To serve, cut the refrigerated bars into 32 pieces. (That’s 8 rows down and 4 rows across.) Place the cut bars on a platter, cover them tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve to your guests. Make sure you have an extra pot of fresh, hot, strong coffee and/or icy-cold glasses of milk.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: Butterscotch Marshmallow Bar Cookies are very rich. I’ve only seen 2 people eat more than one. The first person is Doc, who adores these bar cookies and ate two after dinner for dessert. The second person, of course, is Mike Kingston, who once ate FOUR for afternoon coffee at The Cookie Jar!

  Yield: One recipe makes 32 incredibly rich and yummy bar cookies.

  If you wish to make the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, the recipe follows on the next page:

  CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  Ingredients for Frosting:

  ¼ cup butter (½ stick, 2 ounces)

  1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate

  2 ounces softened cream cheese (left over from your 8-ounce package)

  ¼ cup whole milk

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1-pound box powdered sugar

  To Make the Frosting:

  Melt the butter in a two-quart saucepan over MEDIUM-LOW heat. (You can also do this in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave if you prefer.)

  Break or cut the unsweetened chocolate square into two parts and stir them into the hot melted butter.

  Stir in the 2 ounces of softened cream cheese.

  Add the whole milk and stir that in.

  Heat the mixture (either in the saucepan on the stove or in the microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments) until you can stir the mixture smooth.

  Let the mixture cool on a towel on the counter for several minutes and then stir in the vanilla extract.

  Beat in approximately a cup of the powdered sugar. When that’s incorporated, beat in another cup. When that’s incorporated, beat in the rest of the box.

  Stir the frosting until it’s smooth.

  Let the frosting cool until it’s of spreading consistency and use a frosting knife to frost bar cookies or regular cookies.

  Hannah’s Cautionary Note: If you use this frosting on Butterscotch Marshmallow Bar Cookies it will make them very rich and it might be wise to cut your pan of bar cookies into smaller-than-normal pieces.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After a quick trip to Norman’s house to feed Moishe and Cuddles, Hannah and Norman drove to the condo. Since Michelle had parked in Hannah’s parking spot and Lonnie’s car was in the adjacent one, Norman parked his car in the visitors’ parking lot.

  “Do you want me to carry the bakery boxes?” Norman asked her.

  Hannah nodded. “I’ll take one box and you can take the other.”

  “How about the bag? I can handle that, too.”

  “Okay. I’ll get the other box and we’ll be all set.” Hannah waited for him to come around the car and open the passenger door for her. “Thank y
ou, Norman. You’re always so chivalrous.”

  “Not always. You bring out the best in me, Hannah.”

  “Because I’m such a helpless little flower?”

  Norman came dangerously close to dropping the box he was carrying. “That must be the reason,” he said, still chuckling as she got out and he shut the car door behind her.

  It only took a minute or two to walk down the winding pathway that led to Hannah’s condo. When they got to the covered staircase that led up to her second-story home, Hannah stopped.

  “Are you all right?” Norman asked her.

  “I’m okay. I was just thinking about Moishe and wondering if he’ll ever be able to go home to the condo again. It just makes me so . . . so sad.”

  “You really want to get home again, don’t you,” Norman said, and it was more of a statement than a question.

  Hannah gave a nod, and then she started to climb the stairs. “He was always so happy looking out the living room window and climbing on top of the refrigerator. And he loved the bird feeder I put outside the bedroom window.”

  “Do you think he was happier at the condo than he is at my house?” Norman asked her.

  “No, he loves being at your house with Cuddles. It’s just that knowing he doesn’t ever want to go home again is . . .” Hannah stopped speaking and gave a deep sigh. “I’m not sure how to describe it.”

  “Depressing?”

  “Yes! That’s it exactly. It’s depressing to think that’s all ruined for him. And I’m not sure that I can ever think of a way to bring him home.”