Part 6 (2/2)
Of course she couldn't go to bed, not with one boyfriend confusing the d.i.c.kens out of her by wanting to marry her but claiming he was saving her from herself by pus.h.i.+ng her into another man's arms, and the other boyfriend suffering with an unknown problem in Minneapolis, a problem that made him sound like a stranger instead of a man who could hardly wait to get back to her. In a situation like this, there was only one thing to do and she knew exactly what it was. She had to bake.
Hannah hurried to the kitchen and opened the pantry to survey the ingredients she had on hand. She'd received a recipe last month from a friend she'd known in college. History major Katie Strehler had always attended cla.s.s with a to-go cup of coffee in her hand. She'd been an even bigger coffee drinker than Hannah, and if Katie said her Mocha Nut b.u.t.terb.a.l.l.s satisfied that coffee urge, Hannah certainly wasn't about to doubt her. She'd already stocked up on the ingredients she needed to make Katie's cookies. They were on the top shelf, along with the recipe. Hannah read it through again to make sure she had everything, and then she carried it all out to the kitchen counter.
It didn't take long to mix up the dough, and within five minutes Hannah had the first pan in the oven. Since it was silly to try a new recipe without at least tasting it, she put on a fresh pot of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to wait for the cookies to come out of the oven. She'd just slipped the second pan into the oven and was preparing to roll the cooled cookies in powdered sugar when the door opened and Mich.e.l.le came in.
”It's almost midnight!” Mich.e.l.le said, spotting Hannah at the kitchen counter. ”Can't you sleep?”
”I can't sleep quite yet. I have to wait for another couple of pans of cookies to come out of the oven.”
Mich.e.l.le sniffed the air appreciatively. ”They smell great. What are they?”
”Mocha Nut b.u.t.terb.a.l.l.s. Do you want to try one?”
”Sure.” Mich.e.l.le tossed her purse on the table and went to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup. ”I'll help you bake the rest. I'm too mad to go to sleep.”
”Why are you mad?”
”It's Lonnie. He's being a real pain about wanting to get engaged right away. I think he's afraid I'm going out with someone else.”
”Are you?” Hannah asked the important question.
”I was, but I'm not right now. It's just that I want to keep my options open. I don't want to be tied down at this point in my life.”
”Mmm,” Hannah commented, keeping it neutral as she filled a plate with cookies. ”Have a cookie and tell me what you think.”
Mich.e.l.le took a cookie and bit into it. She gave a little moan of delight and popped the remainder into her mouth. ”I've got three words to describe them.”
”And they are...?”
”Mocha. b.u.t.ter. Yum!”
”That's good enough for me,” Hannah said, taking a cookie for herself. ”So what are you going to do about Lonnie?”
”I don't know.”
”Do you love him?”
Mich.e.l.le took another cookie. ”Yes, I love him. But he's demanding too much of me. Maybe next year, or the year after. But not right now. I'm still trying out my wings.”
”I know,” Hannah said, hoping those wings weren't flapping anywhere near Bradford Ramsey. One broken Swensen heart was enough.
”Men!” Mich.e.l.le muttered around her third cookie. ”You can't live with them, and you can't live without them.”
”That's true, but it's okay.”
”It is?” Mich.e.l.le turned to stare at her.
”Sure it is...as long as the Mocha Nut b.u.t.terb.a.l.l.s hold out.”
MOCHA NUT b.u.t.tERb.a.l.l.s.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup softened b.u.t.ter (2 sticks, pound) cup white (granulated) sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon instant coffee powder (I used espresso powder)***
cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's) teaspoon salt 1 and cups all-purpose flour (no need to sift) 1 and cups finely chopped pecans ****
----- powdered sugar (that's confectioner's sugar) to coat the baked cookies *** - If the only instant coffee you can get comes in granules or beads, crush them up into a powder with the back of a spoon before you add them to the cookie dough.
**** - Mother likes these with chopped walnuts. Andrea prefers pecans. I think they're best with hazelnuts. Tracey adores these when I subst.i.tute flaked coconut for the nuts and form the dough b.a.l.l.s around a small piece of milk chocolate.
Soften the b.u.t.ter. Mix in the white sugar, vanilla extract, instant coffee powder, cocoa, and salt.
Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. (You don't have to be exact. It won't come out even anyway! Just make sure the flour is added in three parts.) Stir in the nuts. Do your best to make sure that they're evenly distributed.
Form the dough into one-inch b.a.l.l.s (just pat them into shape with your fingers) and place them on an ungreased baking sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Press them down very slightly (they're supposed to look like b.a.l.l.s, but you don't want them to roll off on their way to the oven.) Bake the cookie b.a.l.l.s at 325 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are set. (Mine took 14 minutes.) Move the cookies from the cookie sheet to a wire rack. Let them cool on the rack completely.
When the cookies are completely cool, dip them in powdered sugar to coat them. (If you roll them in powdered sugar while they're still warm, they have a tendency to break apart.) Let them rest for several minutes on the wire rack and then store them in a cookie jar or a covered container.
Yield: Makes 3 to 4 dozen simply amazing cookies.
Hannah's 1st Note: After Mich.e.l.le ate almost half a batch, she had a suggestion. She's going to try making them and rolling them in sweetened powdered chocolate instead of powdered sugar. She thinks Ghirardelli makes a sweetened powdered chocolate that will work.
Hannah's 2nd Note: I think these cookies would be incredibly tasty dipped in melted chocolate. Too bad there aren't any left so that I can try it.
Chapter Seven.
Hannah put on her sleep s.h.i.+rt, rested her head on the pillow, shut her eyes, and the alarm went off. At least that was the sequence as she perceived it. A little subtraction, not as simple as one might think this early in the morning, proved her wrong. She'd actually gotten a grand total of four and a half hours sleep. It wasn't enough. Her eyes still felt scratchy, and all of her muscles ached, not entirely because Moishe and Cuddles had tried to commandeer the entire mattress.
She forced her feet to cross the room and step into the tiled bathroom. Then she willed her hand to turn on the water in the shower. Seconds later, she was sputtering under the forceful spray, alive and awake enough to realize that she'd forgotten to turn on the k.n.o.b for the hot water and she was still wearing her sleep s.h.i.+rt.
Hannah turned off the water, peeled herself out of the wet garment, and adjusted the temperature of the spray. After she'd taken her shower, she hung up her soggy sleep s.h.i.+rt on the showerhead to dry. Five minutes later, dressed in jeans and a blouse, she padded into the kitchen in her slippers only to realize that the coffee she'd set to go off automatically last night was half gone.
”Good morning, Hannah. Sit down. I'll get your coffee.”
Hannah turned toward the voice. She blinked. Once, twice, and then she gave a half-hearted wave. Mich.e.l.le was sitting at the kitchen table holding a mug of coffee, and she looked as fresh as a croissant that had just come out of the oven. Her eyes were clear, her hair was glossy, and she was dressed in a pair of white slacks and a crisp yellow blouse.
As she watched, Mich.e.l.le jumped up and headed for the coffee pot. Hannah sat down on a chair and pondered an important question. It was obvious that Mich.e.l.le had been up for a while. She'd curled her hair and put on makeup. How could anyone look so beautiful after so little sleep? Michele was lovely in the morning, and that made Hannah feel old and ugly in comparison.
”I made breakfast,” Mich.e.l.le said, carrying Hannah's coffee to the table and setting it down. ”It's just scrambled eggs and cheese. Would you like some?”
Hannah nodded. She was incapable of speech. Mich.e.l.le had gotten up so early she'd had time to make breakfast. Not only was she beautiful at this ridiculously early hour of the morning, she was also organized and energetic.
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