The search for 'Clues to Good Cooking' continues!

The Recipes:

• Brass Bound Trunk Candy
• Missing Map Cheese Wafers
• Haunted Showboat Pralines
• The Cornings' Caramel Cookies
• Velvet Mask Ball
• Winning Toasted Nibbles
• Tommy's Fruit Yummies
• Apple Butter Reward
• Vanishing Nut Bread

Featured Recipe: The Cornings' Caramel Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 6-ounce can evaporated milk
1 4-ounce package instant butterscotch pudding mix
3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

Directions:

Place the sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring several times.

Take the saucepan off the heat. Add the pudding and oats. Stir well. Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes.

Line a tray with wax paper. Drop the cookie mixture on the wax paper a teaspoon at a time. Cookies will become firm when completely cooled.

A Novel Idea:

For a clever gift, fill a cookie jar with these goodies. Using colored paper, cut out a greeting, such as "Happy Birthday." Paste the letters on the cookie jar.

Jenn's Sleuthworthy Recipe Investigation:

For less bitter chocolate, I would substitute milk chocolate for the semisweet chocolate in Brass Bound Trunk Candy.

I would not use vinegar in the Haunted Showboat Pralines. For some reason that does not sound appetizing! I make pralines every year at Christmas and the recipe I use and others I have do not call for vinegar so that seems unusual to me!

Overall Comments:

With the exceptions noted above, this chapter of giveaway treats seems fit to giveaway or keep and enjoy yourself! I'd recommend Missing Map Cheese Wafers, Brass Bound Trunk Candy, Velvet Mask Ball, and Winning Toasted Nibbles!

The search for 'Clues to Good Cooking' has resulted in quite a few good recipes! There are some very sinister ingredients in some of the recipes and those can be snuffed out by clever sleuth cooks!

If you have tried one of the cookbook recipes and would like to submit comments or tips please e-mail here, and your comments or suggestions will be placed in the chapters with the recipes you are commenting on.