Devil’s
Moon Pies
Makes
approximately 12
COOKIE DOUGH
6
oz. unsalted butter
1/4
cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4
cup Steen's cane syrup
1/4
tsp. vanilla extract
1
1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1
1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, ground fine
3/4
tsp. kosher salt
1/2
tsp. baking powder
1/2
tsp. baking soda
1/4
tsp. ground cinnamon
2
tbsp. whole milk
MARSHMALLOW
4
tsp. powdered gelatin
1/2
cup water, ice cold, plus 1/4 cup at room temperature
4
tbsp. light corn syrup
3
tbsp. honey (clover or wildflower)
3/4
cup granulated sugar
3
large grade-A egg whites
CHOCOLATE COATING
1
lb. bittersweet chocolate (61%–70% cacao)
2
tbsp. vegetable oil or canola oil
PREPARATION
For the cookie dough:
Cream butter, brown sugar, syrup, and vanilla in the bowl
of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, for 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix with
a fork. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix on low speed; slowly
stream in milk. Continue mixing until the dough comes together. Press dough
flat, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Turn out chilled dough onto a flour-dusted surface, then
roll it until it is ¼ inch thick. Stamp out cookies using a 3-inch round cookie
cutter. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 10 to 12
minutes. Remove sheet from oven, and while the cookies are cooling, start your
marshmallow.
For the marshmallow:
Sprinkle gelatin over ½ cup ice-cold water, and set aside.
Combine ¼ cup room-temperature water, corn syrup, honey,
and sugar in a small pot, insert candy thermometer, and simmer until mixture
reaches 240 degrees. When the thermometer reaches 200 degrees—but not
before—place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk
attachment, and whip on high.
Once the sugar mixture hits 240, remove it from heat, and
stir in the bloomed gelatin. Then, while egg whites are whipping, slowly
drizzle the hot sugar mixture down the inside of the bowl to avoid spattering
the hot syrup. Continue whipping for an additional 8 minutes, until the mixture
stiffens. The pan will still feel warm to the touch but no longer hot.
Flip over half of the cooled cookies. Lightly coat a
spoon with nonstick cooking spray, and spoon approximately a quarter cup of
marshmallow onto each flipped cookie. Use the remaining cookies as tops; gently
push down until you can see the marshmallow come just to the edge. While making
the chocolate coating (see below), allow cookies to chill in refrigerator for
at least 15 minutes.
For the chocolate coating:
Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a small
saucepan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate has melted, then remove bowl
from heat and let it cool slightly. Once the chocolate is no longer hot, but
warm, slowly whisk in oil in a steady stream. Allow chocolate to cool at room
temperature for about 5 minutes before proceeding with assembly.
Assembly:
Submerge chilled cookies in the chocolate, using 2 forks
to gently lift the sandwiches out of the bowl. Let stand until shell hardens.
A Walk on the Haunted Side - Review by Martha A. Cheves
The old house stood on a small hill surrounded by oak, pine, and magnolia trees and overgrowth. The Italianate-style structure had red brick with black shutters. Of course most of the shutters were falling off or missing. As far as I knew, no one had lived there since the 1970's. I'd heard a lot of rumors about the place, but so far I didn't know fact from fiction. There was something mysterious about the house. Poking around by myself had seemed like a good idea earlier in the day. Now that it was closing in or darkness, I was having second thoughts. Even if there was a ghost, I was used to dealing with them. I inched up the staircase, reminding myself to breath. It was as if I was disturbing a presence that was in the house. Not only that, but it felt like there were eyes on me with every step I took. I stopped in my tracks. A female ghost stood in front of me. She was so close that I could almost tough her. I'd seen ghosts before, but this one was by far the creepiest that I'd ever seen. She had blood dripping from her head, claws for hands, and her eyes glowed green as she stared right at me.
Ripley Van Raden has returned to her hometown of Devil's Moon. By day she works as the town's librarian. By night she gives ghost tours. Yes, she can see the ghosts when they want her to, but most of the time she gets an image of a dark figure or feels the 'chill' when a ghost is in her presence. She even has one that has befriended her. Her name is Annie and she was one of the original librarians in Devil's Moon. She has passed on now but has learned to communicate with Ripley using text messages. Local police officer Brannon Landon also has the ability to see ghosts, when they want him to see them. This has given Ripley something in common with the officer. But they soon find out that they have a bit more in common when Ripley finds a body at the cemetery one night while giving one of her ghost tours.
This is the second book in the Ghost Hunter Cozy Mysteries. I read the 1st book titled These Haunts are Made for Walking and thoroughly enjoyed it. Author Rose Pressey provides you with mystery, suspense, murder, humor and ghosts all in one book making the stories appealing to all. And yes, it did have a surprising ending. I'm now looking forward to reading book #3 Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk.