Posts made in November, 2016

CALL OF FIRE cover reveal at The Mary Sue!

Posted by on Nov 18, 2016 in Blog, call of fire | Comments Off on CALL OF FIRE cover reveal at The Mary Sue!

The sequel to Breath of Earth has a cover, and it’s glorious and fiery! You can see the exclusive cover reveal for Call of Fire today over at The Mary Sue.

zootopia sloth gif

#SFWAPro

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Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

Posted by on Nov 16, 2016 in Blog, Bready or Not, chocolate, cookies, maple | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

These Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies are light, crisp, and full of maple goodness.

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

Story prompts inspire stories. Cookbooks inspire new spins on already-great recipes. In this case, I found my inspiration in the cookbook MAPLE, which also provided the basis for my Maple Pear Galette and part of my Maple Apple Pie (aka Voltron Pie).

I loved the look of the original recipe, but right off the top, I knew I needed to make some adaptations. I don’t keep whole wheat pastry flour around. I decided to substitute with cake flour since it was also lower in gluten.

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

As a result, the cookies are surprisingly light and crisp. However, this also means they can overcook–and fast! Keep an eye on them as they near the end of baking time. Better to have them slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven, as they’ll finish cooking on the cookie sheet.

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

I also went with white chocolate rather than milk or dark chocolate. I find the mellowness of white chocolate better works with maple flavor.

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

Now, maple sugar can be pricy stuff at supermarkets, if you can find it at all. I buy it in bulk at Amazon. If you glance through my maple recipes, you’ll find plenty of ways to use it up!

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

Walnuts–and other nuts–are easy to roast in your oven. Line a rimmed pan with foil. Add the nuts in an even layer. Bake at 350-degrees for like 7 to 10 minutes, shifting them once sometime in there, until the nuts are fragrant. Let’em cool, then use them or eat them.

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

The combination of flavors here–maple, white chocolate, walnuts–makes these the perfect cookies for autumn.

… Except, well, if you know me, I believe in summoning up the goodness of maple all year round. Awesome things shouldn’t be confined to one season.

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

These cookies combine cake flour and all-purpose flour to create lightly-textured cookies full of maple flavor. White chocolate and chopped walnuts add extra crunch and oomph. Watch these cookies carefully in the oven--their lightness means they can also quickly overcook.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: chocolate, cookies, maple
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup maple sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup walnuts roasted and chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter and maple sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg followed by the oil and vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
  • In another bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mix until they are just combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and walnuts.
  • Use a tablespoon scoop to dole out dough onto the prepared sheet pan, leaving space for each cookie to spread. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until cookies puff and are just turning golden--watch them carefully at the end, as they can overcook quickly! Let them cool on the sheet about ten minutes and then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

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Sunday Quote is glad the election is over

Posted by on Nov 13, 2016 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote is glad the election is over

“Don’t know who will publish my book. Don’t know at all. No reason to let it slide though. Must keep at it. Necessary.”
~John Steinbeck

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Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

Posted by on Nov 9, 2016 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, chocolate, muffin, pumpkin, quick bread | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

Some foods are delicious but not particularly photogenic. These Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins, however, have it all going on.

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

Chocolate and pumpkin are a fantastic pairing. Nutella works so well here, creating a shiny chocolatey cap to these bright orange muffins.

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

The texture of these is magnificent: cakey and fresh, with a light pumpkin taste. Plus Nutella. We can’t forget the Nutella.

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

Speaking of which… if your Nutella is older or you’re near the bottom of the jar, it can be lumpy and hard to spread. To fix that, put the Nutella in a microwave-safe dish and give it a zap in the microwave.

Trust me, that lumpy Nutella may still be delicious, but you want it to be soft enough to create a beautiful swirl on these muffins!

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

Modified from The Novice Chef.

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

These muffins are cakey with a perfect complement of pumpkin and Nutella. If your Nutella is stiff, give it a zap in the microwave so that it's soft enough to swirl. Be careful about using organic canned pumpkin, as some brands are especially watery.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: chocolate, muffins, pumpkin
Servings: 12
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 Tablespoons milk or almond milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup Nutella or other hazelnut cocoa spread

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line muffin pan with liners and apply nonstick spray.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in the egg, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Slowly mix in the dry mixture until it is just blended.
  • Add the batter to the muffin pan, filling each about 3/4 full. Top each muffin with about a teaspoon of Nutella and use a butter knife to swirl it into the batter.
  • Bake muffins for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a center muffin comes out clean.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in a sealed container.
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

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Sunday Quote doesn’t change her clocks

Posted by on Nov 6, 2016 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote doesn’t change her clocks

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”
~William Faulkner

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