Key Lime Pie Murder (38 page)

Mix in the chopped ingredients, give a final stir, and spread the batter out in your prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

Cool the Blonde Brownies in the pan on a metal rack. When they’re thoroughly cool, grasp the edges of the foil and lift the brownies out of the pan. Put them facedown on a cutting board, peel the foil off the back, and cut them into brownie-sized pieces.

Place the squares on a plate and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Jo Fluke’s Note: I developed these Blonde Brownies for Laura Levine’s party when she launched the third book in her Jaine Austen mystery series, Killer Blonde.

RUBY’S DEEP-FRIED CANDY BARS

Oil for deep-frying (I used Canola)

6 or more assorted chocolate-covered candy bars*

*
—Milky Way, Snickers, Mars Bars, or Almond Joy work well. You can use regular size candy bars (approximately 2 ounces) or the miniatures you buy in a bag to give out at Halloween. Ruby uses the regular size. If you choose to use the miniatures, they won’t take as long to fry as the larger size.

Buy the candy bars the day before you intend to make these and chill them in their wrappers in your refrigerator overnight.

An hour and a half before you want to serve, mix up the batter from the following ingredients:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (not sifted)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 Tablespoons white (granulated) sugar

1 egg

1 cup whole milk

Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Mix it all up together.

In a separate small bowl (I used a 2-cup measuring cup) whisk the egg with the milk until it’s nice and smooth.

Dump the milk and egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture and stir until there are no lumps. (The resulting batter is about twice as thick as pancake batter.)

Cover your bowl and chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (Two hours is okay, but no longer than that.)

Hannah’s 1st Note: You can use a heavy pan on the stove to deep-fry these sinful treats as long as you have a reliable deep-frying thermometer. If you do this, you’ll have to keep a sharp eye on the temperature of the oil. It should remain at a fairly constant 375 degrees F. A deep fryer that regulates its own temperature is really preferable, but you don’t have to run right out and buy one just to try this recipe. If you use a deep fryer, DO NOT use the basket. The battered candy bars will stick to it and you’ll never get them loose.

Prepare for deep-frying by heating your oil to 375 degrees F.

Prepare a cooling and draining surface by setting a metal rack over a pan lined with paper towels.

Hannah’s 2nd Note: You will fry these candy bars one at a time and serve them the same way. That’s to keep them from sticking together in the hot oil. You’ll probably find that eager dessert eaters will line up in the kitchen to receive their treats.

Take out a candy bar, unwrap it, and dip it in the chilled batter. Make sure it’s completely covered by the batter. Slide it gently into the hot oil with your batter-covered fingers (or with two forks) and fry it for approximately two and a half minutes, or until nicely browned. Use a slotted metal spoon, or a pair of tongs to remove the candy bar from the hot oil.

Set the candy bar on the rack to drain and leave it there for at least a minute to cool. Then transfer it to a dessert dish or plate and serve.

When all the candy bars have been fried and eaten, you may have batter left over. If you do, dump it into a plastic bag, cut off the end, and squeeze it into the hot oil in a circular pattern. If you haven’t guessed by this time, you’re making funnel cake. Once the funnel cake is nicely browned, remove it from the oil, set it on the rack to drain, and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Yum!

WARNING: NEVER LEAVE HOT OIL OR FAT UNATTENDED!!!

Index of Recipes

Swedish Oatmeal Cookies

Pineapple Delights

Walnut-Date Chews

Key Lime Pie

Mock Apple Pie

Bernadette’s Popovers

Fancy Butters for Popovers

Breakfast Omelet

Cappuccino Royales

Mango Bread

Peach Bread

Spicy Dreams

Kitty’s Orange Cake

Chippers

Blonde Brownies

Ruby’s Deep Fried Candy Bars

Baking Conversion Chart

These conversions are approximate, but they’ll work just fine for Hannah Swensen’s recipes.

VOLUME:

U.S.

Metric

1/2 teaspoon

2 milliliters

1 teaspoon

5 milliliters

1 tablespoon

15 milliliters

1/4 cup

50 milliliters

1/3 cup

75 milliliters

1/2 cup

125 milliliters

3/4 cup

175 milliliters

1 cup

1/4 liter

WEIGHT:

U.S.

Metric

1 ounce

28 grams

1 pound

454 grams

OVEN TEMPERATURE:

Degrees Fahrenheit

Degrees Centigrade

British (Regulo) Gas Mark

325 degrees F.

165 degrees C.

3

350 degrees F.

175 degrees C.

4

375 degrees F.

190 degrees C.

5

Note: Hannah’s rectangular sheet cake pan, 9 inches by 13 inches, is approximately 23 centimeters by 32.5 centimeters.