Michelle appeared in the doorway and Hannah smiled at her. “I feel good. You and Mike were right. Sleep was exactly what I needed.”

CHERRY SHORTBREAD BAR COOKIES

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

The Crust and Topping Mixture:

3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

¾ cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar (don’t sift unless it’s got big lumps)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

1 and ½ cups slightly softened butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)

The Filling:

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling (I used
Comstock)

FIRST STEP: Use a fork to mix flour, powdered sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.

Mix in the softened butter until the mixture forms little nuggets about the size of coarse gravel.

(You can also do this in a food processor using cold butter cut into chunks, layered with the dry ingredients. Process with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until it resembles coarse gravel.)

Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch pan (That’s a standard-sized rectangular cake pan) with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Spread approximately HALF of the crust and topping mixture (approx. 2 and ½ cups) into the pan you prepared.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, but DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN! You’ll be using it again in just a few minutes and you won’t have time to preheat it again.

Let the crust cool for 5 minutes.

SECOND STEP: Open the can of cherry pie filling and pour it out into a bowl. Use a knife to cut the cherries into smaller pieces.

Spread the cherry pie filling over the top of the crust you just baked.

Sprinkle the cherry pie filling with the other half of the crust and topping mixture.

Gently press the topping down with a wide, metal spatula.

Bake the bar cookies for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden. Remove the pan from the oven, turn off the oven, and place the pan on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack.

Cool the Cherry Shortbread Bar Cookies thoroughly.

When the pan is cool to the touch, cut the bar cookies into brownie-sized bars while they’re right there in the pan.

If you want to be a little fancy, sprinkle your bar cookies with a little extra powdered sugar.

Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate your cut bar cookies until you’re ready to serve them. Then use a small spatula to remove them and put them on a pretty platter.

You can also serve these bar cookies as a dessert if you cut them into larger pieces and warm them in dessert dishes in the microwave.

As a finishing touch, place a dollop of sweetened, whipped cream, OR a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Epilogue

Epilogue

“Hannah?” Ross put down his empty coffee cup.

“Yes, Ross.”

“I have a couple of questions for you.”