In A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron, Dee Stern swaps LA for the quiet village of Foundgold, turning an old motel into a mountain retreat with her ex-husband Jeff. But their new life takes a dark turn when a guest is murdered, leaving Dee and Jeff as prime suspects. Now, they must clear their names while navigating the dangers of the wilderness—and the secrets hidden within it. A Very Woodsy Murder is set in California, the almond and date capital of America, which makes this recipe a perfect match for the new Golden Motel Mystery series.
- ⅔ cup plus ¼ cup butter, softened and divided
- ½ cup plus ⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
- ½ cup plus ⅓ cup light corn syrup, divided
- 2 teaspoons almond extract, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup unsalted, slivered, dry-roasted almonds
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers
- ½ to 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-inch rimmed sheet pan with foil.
- In a large bowl, beat together ⅔ cup butter, ½ cup brown sugar, and ½ cup corn syrup until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in 1 teaspoon almond extract and then egg until well combined. Gradually beat in flour and salt until combined into a dough. Spread dough into prepared baking sheet, pressing to edges.
- Bake crust until light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine remaining ⅓ cup brown sugar and remaining ⅓ cup corn syrup over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Stir in remaining ¼ cup butter and cream. Increase heat to medium and cook mixture until it boils. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 teaspoon almond extract.
- Sprinkle almonds and dates evenly over crust. Pour cooked mixture over almonds and dates, spreading evenly.
- Bake until light brown and set, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool partially.
- Melt white chocolate according to package directions, adding ½ to 1 tablespoon oil to achieve desired consistency, if desired. Using a spoon, drizzle or drop white chocolate onto uncut bars. Refrigerate to finish cooling and to harden white chocolate.
- When completely cool, using a sharp knife, carefully cut into 16 bars or 24 squares.
New motel owner Dee Stern has checked out of the familiar comforts in the San Fernando Valley and checked in to the quaint village of Foundgold. Running a rustic getaway in the woods sure beats LA traffic—until murder ruins the peace and quiet.
Down-on-her-luck sitcom writer Dee Stern is flipping the script. Twice divorced and wasting her talents on an obnoxious kids’ show, the lifelong Angeleno embraces the urge to jump in her car and keep driving. It’s a road trip with no destination—until she pulls into a mid-century motel filled with cobwebs and retro charm. Nestled in the shadow of a national park, it’s a time capsule of a place that, like her, could use some work. So, in the most impulsive move of her life, Dee teams up with best friend Jeff Cornetta—who happens to be her first ex-husband—to transform the aging ranch into the Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains, a hiker’s oasis on the edge of the wilderness.
But Dee and Jeff soon realize there couldn’t be two people more unprepared for the hospitality business. There’s also the panic-inducing reality of prowling bears and a general store as the only shopping spot for miles. Living and working in the middle of nowhere takes some getting used to, especially when a disrespectful guest ends up murdered! Now, with the motel duo topping the suspect list, Dee must steer clear of a meddling park ranger, face her past in showbiz, and determine if the killer is a local or a tourist. Because, as she quickly finds out, there are many things worse than a one-star review.
USA Today best–selling author Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and Lefty Awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Bayou Book Thief, her first Vintage Cookbook Mystery, won the Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Award and was nominated for Agatha and Anthony awards. She also writes the Catering Hall Mysteries (under the name Maria DiRico) and the new Golden Motel Mysteries. Ellen is an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies such as Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. She has written more than 200 articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. An alum of New Orleans’s Tulane University, Ellen blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, is a member of Sisters in Crime, and serves on the national board for Mystery Writers of America. A native New Yorker, she lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and a rotating crew of rescue pups. Visit her at EllenByron.com, or keep up with her on Instagram and Facebook.
