Canterbury Jumbles offer a mix of flavors

“The chocolate chip cookie is a masterpiece,” Times Leader taste tester Bill O’Boyle said. “You don’t put a mustache on the Mona Lisa.”

That was his way of chiding me for baking something that was basically a chocolate chip cookie — with macadamia nuts, coconut and raisins in the mix.

“When you add nuts and everything else,” he said. “It just gets confusing.”

Meanwhile, other taste testers were happy with these “Canterbury Jumbles,” which came from yet another recipe I found in that culinary mystery novel, “The Last Suppers.”

“Very good, very good,” was reporter Sam Zavada’s reaction.

“I definitely like the nuts and chocolate here,” reporter Margaret Roarty said.

But Margaret didn’t feel that all of the ingredients were necessary. Neither did news editor Liz Baumeister, who approved of the chocolate and macadamia nuts but would have left out the raisins and coconut.

“The name ‘jumble’ is appropriate,” Liz said “They’re not so much a cookie as a cluster.”

“There are so many add-ins, it was actually hard to stir,” I said. “I felt like there wouldn’t be enough batter to stretch around all the extra morsels.”

“I’d give it a 7 1/2 out of 10,” Liz said.

Since Bill had admitted, despite his Mona Lisa comments, that this was “a good cookie” and sportwriter Kevin Carroll said much the same, I actually was batting 1.000 in the newsroom.

Then I took some jumbles to choir practice that evening, and I wish everyone in the world could have such a gratifying experience. It feels so good to cook or bake something you want to share, and then have people gather around you hungry to try it. And, of course, to tell you they like it. That’s the best part.

Here are a few of the comments:

“I give it four stars,” soprano Kathy Shucosky said.

“It just gets better and better,” alto Tina Kellar said as she continued to chew.

“You are a good baker,” choir director Ann Manganiello said.

At home it was a different matter, where my husband and fellow test cook Mark tried the cookies and said something was “off.” He asked if the nuts were rancid, if the milk had been sour, and if I had changed anything in the recipe.

Well, let’s see. The nuts had been stamped as “best by” September 2025, and seemed OK to me. The milk was fresh but because the recipe called for buttermilk and I didn’t have any I added a little lemon juice. You know me, I did substitute a cup of whole wheat flour for a cup of the all-purpose flour. And I used all butter instead of a butter/shortening mix.

With each of these admissions, Mark’s disapproving look became more intense. But if you read all of his food columns closely, you’ll see he doesn’t follow every recipe to the letter, either. Sigh.

Here’s another admission. I also burned my first two trays of Canterbury Jumbles. Chalk that up to baking at night when I am by nature a morning person.

“Maybe Mark ate a burnt one,” news editor Liz suggested. Perhaps he did.

If you want to have fun with this recipe, gentle readers, here it is, fresh from a book about a mystery-solving caterer.

Canterbury Jumbles

1⁄2 cup vegetable shortening

1⁄2 cup unsalted butter

2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs

1⁄2 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 1⁄2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

1 1⁄2 cups raisins

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl beat the shortening, butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs and then stir in the buttermilk and vanilla. Blend the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl; stir flour mixture into the butter mixture until incorporated. Stir in the coconut, nuts, raisins and chocolate chips.

Drop by level half tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and slightly brown. Cool on a rack. These cookies keep well in an airtight tin.