Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke Page A

Pam Baking Spray or another brand of baking spray that has flour in it.
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    Hannah’s 3 rd Note: These cookies are a lot easier to make if you use an electric mixer because you must beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and, ultimately, stiff peaks. You can use a copper bowl and a whisk, but it will take some time and muscle.
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    Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt until they are firm enough to hold a soft peak. Test this by shutting off the mixer and dotting the egg whites with the side of a clean rubber spatula. When you pull up the spatula, a soft peak should form.
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    Hannah’s 4 th Note: For those of you who haven’t made meringues before, soft peaks slump a bit and bend over on themselves. That’s what you want at this stage. A bit later on in the recipe, you’ll want stiff peaks. Those stand straight up and do not slump or bend over.
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    With the mixer running on MEDIUM HIGH speed, sprinkle the egg white mixture with approximately one third of the sugar. Turn the mixer up to HIGH speed for ten seconds. Then turn the mixer down to MEDIUM HIGH speed again.
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    Sprinkle in half of the remaining sugar, turn the mixer up to HIGH speed for ten seconds, and then back down to MEDIUM HIGH speed.
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    Sprinkle in the remaining sugar and follow the same procedure, turning the mixer up to HIGH speed for ten seconds, or until stiff peaks form. Then turn OFF the mixer completely.
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    Sprinkle in the flour and mix it into the egg white mixture at LOW speed. You don’t want to whip any air out of the meringue.
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    Take the bowl out of the mixer, give it a gentle stir with your rubber spatula, and place it next to your prepared cookie sheet.
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    Use a spoon to drop small mounds of dough on your cookie sheet, no more than 12 dough mounds to a standard-sized sheet. (If you make 4 rows with 3 dough mounds in each row, that should be perfect.)
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    Hannah’s 5 th Note: The mound of dough should be no larger than a ping pong ball. (If you’ve never played table tennis, this is a little smaller than a golf ball. If you’ve never played golf, make the dough mounds the size of a large walnut in the shell. If you’ve never seen a large walnut in the shell, you’d better ask someone or you won’t have a clue!)
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    Dip the pad of your impeccably clean finger in the flour. (I use my pointer finger.) Make an indentation in the center of your mounds of cookie dough, dipping your finger in the bowl of flour before indenting each mound. Make sure your indentations DO NOT go all the way to the bottom of the dough mounds. (If the jam leaks out in the oven, it’ll go all over and you certainly don’t want that!)
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    Use the tip of a small spoon to take a little jam from the jar and deposit it inside the indentation you made. Don’t use too much jam. A little will do just fine.
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    Drop a little mound of cookie dough over the top of the jam to cover it completely. Then it will be a lovely surprise when everyone bites into your cookies.
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    Bake your Angel Jellies at 275 degrees F. for approximately 40 minutes or until the meringue part of the cookie is lightly golden and dry to the touch when you tap it lightly with your finger.
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    Take the Angel Jellies out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the paper-lined baking sheet by setting it on a cold stovetop burner or on a wire rack.
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    When your Angel Jellies are completely cool, peel them off the paper and store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. (Unfortunately, your refrigerator is NOT a dry place. A cupboard shelf will do just fine as long as it’s not near your stove.)
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    Yield: 3 to 4 dozen crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a delightful surprise in the center. Warning: Angel Jellies are like potato chips. You can’t eat just one!
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    Michelle’s Note: My college housemates love these cookies. I’ve made them with