Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18) by Joanne Fluke Page A

hadn’t just in case Ross thought she was hinting that they ought to have every breakfast together. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Or was it the right idea? She wasn’t quite sure yet.
    “Thank you, Ross,” Andrea said as she pushed back her chair and stood up.
    “Yes, thank you,” Michelle echoed, also getting to her feet. “Maybe we’ll see you at the pool later. I talked to Lonnie and he said it got down to forty degrees last night. I need to get some more pool time in before we go home.”
    Andrea nodded. “The same goes for me. Maybe we’ll see you later.”
    Not if we see you first , Hannah thought, but of course she didn’t say it. It was a cinch, however, that she wouldn’t suggest going to the pool that Andrea and Michelle frequented. The look in Ross’s eyes had been very romantic when they’d exchanged glances and she could hardly wait to be alone with him again.

CHOCOLATE BAKED DOUGHNUTS
     
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

    cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)
    1 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
    ¾ cup white (granulated) sugar
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
    ½ teaspoon salt
    2 large eggs
    ½ cup milk
    cup sour cream
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound) salted butter, melted
    1 cup (a 6-ounce bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
     

    Spray the wells in a 12-cup doughnut pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. (I used two 6-cup doughnut pans)
     
    In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the cocoa powder and all-purpose flour together at low speed.
     
    Place the sugar in the bowl and mix it in on low speed.
     
    Add the baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix well.
     
    Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
     
    Add the milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
     
    With the mixer running, drizzle in the melted butter and continue to mix until the doughnut dough is smooth.
     
    Take the bowl out of the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Give the doughnut dough another stir by hand.
     
    Use the rubber spatula to mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
     
    Spoon the dough into the indentations in the doughnut pan, filling them a bit over ¾ full.
     
    Bake the doughnuts at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle baked part of one of the doughnuts comes out clean.
     
    Take the doughnuts out of the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack. Cool them for 1 to 2 minutes.
     
    Loosen the edges of the doughnuts by running a table knife around the circles. Then use potholders to pick up the pan and tip them out onto the wire rack.
     
    Sugar/Cocoa/Cinnamon Coating:

    2 Tablespoons white (granulated) sugar
    ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
    ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
     

    Quickly fill a bag with the white sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon (if you decided to use it) . You must coat your doughnuts while they are still warm so that the coating will stick.
     
    Shake the bag to mix the ingredients and then place the warm doughnuts, one at a time, in the bag and shake them in the sugar/cocoa/cinnamon mixture. Then take them out and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
     
    Alternatively, you can coat your doughnuts with chocolate icing, but you must let them cool completely. If you try to frost warm doughnuts, the icing will slide off. (I know. I tried it!)
     
    Chocolate Icing:

    1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6-ounce package)
    2 Tablespoons salted butter
    2 Tablespoons cream
     

    In a microwave-safe bowl that’s large enough to hold a doughnut, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, salted butter, and cream.
     
    Heat the contents on HIGH for 1 minute.
     
    Leave the bowl in the microwave for one minute and then stir the contents with a heat-resistant rubber spatula to see if the chips are melted. If