Dear Reader Column 07-19-06

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Dear Reader,

I'm on vacation this week and some of my friends have graciously offered to fill in for me while I'm gone. Today's column is written by one of my biggest "cheerleaders", author M.J. Rose.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

Today's guest columnist, author M.J. Rose...

I have been the lucky recipient of a box of Suzanne's famous Chocolate Chip Cookies (hereafter referred to as CCCs) but not often enough to satisfy my husband who finds them the best he's ever eaten.

So one day this past winter, I decided it was time to bite the bullet - or the chip to be more precise - and make a batch myself. After all, I can make pies from scratch and have even whipped up a perfect chocolate mousse upon occasion.

How tough could Suzanne's cookies be?

I followed her recipe on that snowy afternoon and watched with pleasure as Doug took his first bite.

Sweetly, he thanked me for my efforts and pronounced the cookie: "Good."

Good?

Suzanne's CCCs are not good, they are great. Nay, they are sublime. How could mine only be good?

Since I am lucky enough to know Suzanne, I called her to find out what I had done wrong.

"I screwed up," I cried. "The cookies failed."

"Now, now," she said. "I'm sure they didn't fail." (She's always so positive.)

"They did, they did."

So we went over the recipe step by step. She was becoming mystified. I had done everything right. Or so it seemed. Then we got to the very last step.

After the cookies are done her recipe says to freeze them.

"No, of course I didn't do that," I told her. "I didn't want to save them for later. Doug wanted them right away."

"Ah!" she said in that wise tone she has. "You have to freeze them first. It sets the chocolate."

So chocolate needs to set. Who knows that other than Suzanne?

Two hours and another batch later, I took four cookies out of the freezer and let them thaw. Sure enough my CCC expert pronounced them almost as good as Suzanne's.

"Almost?" I asked in dismay.

"Really close."

"What's wrong with them now?"

"She sends at least three dozen--you only made one tray full."

Which proves Suzanne has no equals not even when it comes to making Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Thanks for Reading,

M.J. Rose
[email protected]
http://www.mjrose.com/

P.S. I have two books out this summer --Lying In Bed-- which happens to be dedicated to Suzanne Beecher, and The Venus Fix: #3 in the Dr. Morgan Snow series of psychological suspense. Email me for the chance to win a copy of both.
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Comments

[SU]

And that famous Suzanne cookie recipie was.....

I love to try it - and bet others are too. Thanks