Compelling Infinity (Archivist 2) releases in just over a month, but I was fairly certain you needed Len Murphy’s family recipe – Cream Cheese Cutouts – before the holidays (though they are tasty year-round). I’ve included an excerpt below for extra fun.
I will add this recipe to the Adept Universe cookbook and put a download link in the new release email that will go out on Jan 4, 2021. Make sure you’re subscribed to my mailing list if you want a full and/or new PDF copy of the cookbook.
I found Sisu, Neve, and Lile in the kitchen with Len. Flour and other ingredients appeared to have exploded all over the kitchen island and the surrounding floor.
Len was standing sentry over the oven, with the trio all lined up at the island. All had been assigned different tasks and were wearing smocks that I was fairly certain were just large T-shirts with the arms and necks cut off. Sisu, Neve, and Lile looked up at me as I entered, grinning in perfect synchrony. And for the first time in my life, I pulled out my phone and used it to take a picture.
“We’re making cookies!” Sisu said. Icing sugar dusted his cheek.
“I’m in charge of the sprinkles!” Neve cried gleefully. Her lips, teeth, and tongue were oddly bright pink.
“No,” Len said, barely containing his amusement. “You were in charge of sprinkles.”
Neve snickered. The red tin of sprinkles looked suspiciously emptier than the other colors, which made sense given the state of the six-year-old.
The island was divided into two sections — a space to roll out the cookie dough, cut it, and place it on a baking sheet. Then a space to decorate the cooled cookies. Len had an uncooked sheet of cookies waiting to the left of the oven, and about two dozen cookies cooling on wire racks to the right.
Lile and Sisu were currently cutting out dough while Neve frosted a cooled batch of cookies with white icing. As she finished each one, she set it onto parchment paper laid down across the far end of the counter.
“What are you making?” I asked.
“Cream-cheese cutouts,” Lile said, her tone and expression serious as she focused on cutting out a cookie in the shape of an evergreen tree.
When she was satisfied, she nodded at Sisu. My brother carefully peeled the raw tree from the heavily floured marble counter and placed it on a waiting cookie sheet, already half full.
“Two inches apart,” Sisu said. “Len says that’s the best spacing.”
I glanced over the trio’s heads at Len.
He grimaced. “Sorry about the mess. Bethany left early to help with the setup at the Conall house. It’s a family recipe. My family. From California.”
“We’re making gifts,” Neve said brightly, gesturing toward a half-dozen Christmas-themed boxes on a side counter that I hadn’t noticed in all the chaos.
The timer on the oven went off. “I’ll check,” Sisu announced, jumping back off his stool.
Len opened the oven as he and Sisu both peered into its depths. Sisu cocked his head to one side. “Just starting to brown on the edges. Two more minutes?”
“I concur,” Len said, closing the oven and setting the timer. My chest constricted. With happiness, I thought — but I wasn’t certain I’d ever felt that specific sensation before.
– excerpt from Compelling Infinity (Archivist 2)
