Cinnamon Roll Murder

“Because you’re going to tell the story of how Mother found the body?” Andrea asked.

“I’m definitely going to do that. Your mother told me to make it just as theatrical as I wanted, and she’s going to come in and listen.” Lisa turned to Hannah. “We always get tons of customers when I tell murder stories.”

“I know,” Hannah said. “But we don’t open the coffee shop until nine, and it’s only seven. What else is there to do before we open?”

“We have to start working on this murder investigation right away. And after we get everything organized, I want you and Michelle to tell me exactly what it was like when you went up to the front of the bus to see the dead bus driver’s body. Our customers are going to want to hear about that, too.”

“You’re doing a double feature?” Michelle asked her.

“You betcha. Now let’s get back to business. You met Buddy last night and so did Michelle. Andrea and I need to know your impressions of him. And then we need to figure out a reason why somebody wanted to kill him.”

Hannah was greatly relieved when Andrea slipped the crime scene photos back into the envelope. This was definitely a crime of passion. Buddy had been stabbed multiple times with the scissors, and some of the wounds hadn’t bled. This led her to believe that the killer had kept stabbing him even after he was dead. Of course she wasn’t a doctor or a forensic specialist. She’d have to wait for Delores to bring in the autopsy report to make certain she was right. Lisa and Michelle had gone into the coffee shop to open it for business, but not until they’d talked about the direction their investigation would take, and Hannah and Michelle had told Lisa about entering the overturned band bus and seeing the dead driver.

“I’m going to mix up more cookie dough,” Hannah said, rising from her stool at the stainless steel work island.

“But don’t you have enough?” Andrea asked her.

“Maybe for Lisa’s rendition of Delores Finds the Body, but not for Michelle and Hannah Discover the Dead Bus Driver. Two stories will take a while, especially if Lisa embellishes.”

“And she will.”

“Naturally. She’ll probably take a break between the two, and customers will order more coffee and cookies.”

“What kind of cookie are you going to make?”

“I thought I’d try a new recipe I thought of when I made JoAnn Hecht’s recipe for Nutmeg Snaps. They were so popular, I decided to make more cookies with spices. I’m going to call these Cardamom Cuties.”

“That’s a nice name for a cookie. I don’t think I’ve ever had cardamom. What does it taste like?”

“It’s a little like cinnamon but it’s deeper and more intense. And it’s used more widely in European countries than it is here. Do you remember Great Grandma Elsa’s sticky buns?”

“Maybe. I was pretty little when she was alive. I remember that I liked going out to the farm because she always had cookies and things for us.”

“That’s a good place to start. Think about her kitchen table with the red and white tablecloth on top.”

“I remember that. It had little red flowers.”

“You got it. Now try to remember the afternoon that she gave us warm rolls and fresh-churned butter. Those were her sticky buns. They stuck to our fingers, and you dropped yours on the floor.”

“I remember! I cried.”

“And she told you not to cry because she’d just washed the kitchen floor. She picked up your roll, put it back on the plate, and finished eating it.”

“I remember that whole thing.”

“Okay. See if you can remember the taste of that roll. It had caramel and pecans on top, and the inside was filled with cardamom and sugar.”

Andrea shut her eyes. When she opened them, she was smiling. “I remember. Those rolls were delicious. Are the cardamom cookies going to taste like that?”

“We’ll find out. They’ll be ready to eat around noon.”

Andrea glanced at the clock. “It’s going to take you over three hours to make the dough?”

“No, that’ll go fast. But it has to chill for two hours or more in the refrigerator.”

“Can I help you make it?”

“Sure, as long as you crack the eggs and take them out of the shell before you add them to the bowl.”

Andrea sighed loudly. “You’re never going to let me forget that lemon pie, are you?”

“Probably not,” Hannah said, heading for the pantry to gather the ingredients.

CARDAMOM CUTIES

DO NOT preheat the oven yet—this cookie dough must chill before baking.

1 cup salted butter, softened (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ? pound)

2 and ? cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

2 large eggs

1 and ? teaspoons baking soda

? teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

3 and ? cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

? cup shredded coconut

? cup white chocolate chips

extra brown sugar (about ? cup) for rolling dough balls before baking

Hannah’s 1st Note: Although you can certainly make this recipe by hand, it’s a lot easier with an electric mixer.

Place the softened (room temperature) butter in a mixer bowl and beat it until it’s smooth.

Add the dark brown sugar and beat it until it’s nice and fluffy.

Mix in the eggs. Make sure they’re thoroughly incorporated.

With the mixer running on LOW speed, add the baking soda, salt, and cardamom. Keep beating until you’re sure they’re evenly distributed.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, beating after each addition.

If you have a food processor, put the shredded coconut and white chocolate chips in the bowl. Process with the steel blade in an on and off motion until the coconut and white chocolate are cut into smaller pieces.

If you don’t have a food processer, lay the coconut and white chocolate on a cutting board and chop them