Cashew Crisps

One of my favorite "mystery author with recipes" is Joanne Fluke. I was craving some cookies last week at work so Doris, Cathy and I grabbed a bunch of books by Joanne Fluke and decided on a few recipes. This is a great advantage of working in a library. Almost any book you want you can get. I make it a bit differently, but the ingredients are the same. Next week it will be the Chocolate Sugar Cookies, but today it is...

Cashew Crisps

2 cups salted cashews
1 1/2 cups mostly melted butter (3 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350.




You need 1 1/2 cups finely ground cashews. I used 2 cups halves and pieces and ground them in the food processor. Make sure and pulse them...you do not want cashew butter!

Mostly melt the butter in the microwave. Dump it in the mixing bowl and add the sugar, vanilla and molasses. Stir until blended and add the soda, powder and salt. mix well.




Add the nuts and mix. Break the eggs into the bowl you used to melt the butter, mix them up with a fork and add to the mixing bowl. Then add the flour one cup at a time, mixing between each cup. DON'T lose track of how many cups you used! Use a pen to make a hash mark on the recipe after each cup. The phone will ring and you will forget...been there, done that.

At this point I put the mixing bowl in the fridge to rest and firm up. I put all the food away and clean up the counters. I get out the cookie sheets and the Sil-pats. I use three at a time. You can just use greased cookie sheets, but Sil-pats are the best and you should indulge yourself. Ask for them for Christmas. As a long forgotten commercial in Hawaii used to exhort viewers, "You will be grad you did."




I also use a cookie scoop. It is similar to an ice cream scoop, but much smaller. You can use a spoon and try to get them all the same size, about the size of a walnut and then try to get them off the spoon or you can get the cookie scoop and do it fast and easy.

Bake at 350 for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Cool on the cookie sheet for at least 2 minutes. If the cookie starts to fall apart, wait another couple of minutes for it to firm up. Then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I fill one sheet and then put it in the oven and set the timer. Then I fill another sheet and put it on the bottom shelf and set the second timer. Then I fill the third sheet and have it ready to go. Next I start the dishes into the dishwasher and get some soapy water going. I like to clean as I go so there is not huge clean up at the end. When the first timer goes off I take out the first sheet and then move the bottom sheet to the top rack. This allows the cookie tops to brown evenly. Then I place the filled cookie sheet on the bottom and re-set the timer. The finished cookies wait for a few minutes and then I remove the cookies to the wire rack and start filling the now empty sheet. Then when the timer dings, I am ready to rotate everything around. It's an assembly line! When the last cookie sheet goes in I start washing the bowls and finished cookie sheets and then I am all done with the clean up shortly after the last pan comes out. Easy Peasy, lemon squeezy.