Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Pepper's Gingersnaps and a Launch Day #bookgiveaway

The giveaway is closed. 

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Launch Day, Launch Day! So pleased to present KILLING THYME, the third installment in my Spice Shop Mysteries, set in Seattle's famed Pike Place Market.

Congratulations to Victoria Abbott on the release of The Hammett Hex, Book Collector Mystery #5, and Sheila Connolly, for Seeds of Deception, Orchard Mystery #10!

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of KILLING THYME, Spice Shop #3!

I’ve often joked that in my childhood home, there were three spices: salt, pepper, and cinnamon. And of course, salt is actually a mineral. We did occasionally have a fourth—bay leaves—but I’m not sure my mother, bless her, had any real idea what to do with them.

So when I moved to Seattle as a college freshman (freshwoman?), the discovery of a real live spice shop in the Pike Place Market was the proverbial treat for my senses. I began drinking spice tea—they keep an urn going in the corner—and often walked around the Market sipping. When I got my first apartment and began learning to cook, I inched past spice tea into the herbs and spices themselves.

So what’s different or unusual about cinnamon and pepper? Cinnamon, a bark and one of the oldest known spices, comes from several countries. Each variety has a slightly different flavor, some sweeter, some mellower. Much grocery store cinnamon is actually cassia, the bark of a different but related tree; to my palate, it tastes a little darker and more bitter.

Pepper—which grows on trees, and was once used as money, so your dad was wrong—is often called the King of Spices. Black peppercorns has a history almost as old as trade itself. Although pepper trade drove the Age of Exploration, it also had a key role in the 18th century American economy, when the fleets from Salem and Boston became involved.

These gingersnaps combine the bark of cinnamon with an extra bite from a few twists of black pepper. They are Mr. Right’s favorite cookie, and when I was writing a scene in which Pepper’s ex-husband, Tag, drops by unexpectedly, it seemed perfectly natural that she’d be pulling a tray of fresh-baked gingersnaps out of the oven—and that they’d be a favorite of his, too. Even though Pepper knows good and well that Tag is not Mr. Right.

I do hope you enjoy both the cookies and the newest adventures of Pepper and her gang. 

Pepper’s Gingersnaps

The classic, with a bite of a little something extra. Call it Pepper’s personal touch.

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil, such as corn or canola
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
¼ to ½ cup white sugar for topping (optional)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and salt.


 In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. Beat well. (No need to dirty your mixer and clean the beaters—the oil makes this dough easy to mix by hand.) Add flour mixture and stir until well mixed.


Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. If you’d like to top the cookies with sugar, pour the white sugar into a small soup or pasta bowl or on a small plate. Roll cookie balls in the sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon sheet. Bake about 10 minutes, until bottoms have darkened slightly and tops begin to crack.

Makes about 4 dozen. These cookies will be soft at first, but crisp up nicely. They freeze well.





What's the favorite cookie in your house?

Leave a comment below with your email address for a chance to win one of TWO signed copies of KILLING THYME. The winner will be chosen on Thurs, October 6.  


At Seattle Spice in the Pike Place Market, owner Pepper Reece is savoring her business success, but soon finds her plans disrupted by a killer…

Pepper Reece’s to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she’s got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun. 

While browsing in the artists’ stalls, Pepper and Lena drool over stunning pottery made by a Market newcomer. But when Lena recognizes the potter, Bonnie Clay, as an old friend who disappeared years ago, the afternoon turns sour. To Pepper’s surprise, Bonnie seems intimately connected to her family’s past. after Bonnie is murdered only days later, Pepper is determined to uncover the truth. 

But as Pepper roots out long-buried secrets, will she be digging her own grave?



Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The 2015-16 president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website  and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebookwhere I often share news of new books and giveaways from my cozy writer friends.


85 comments:

  1. Love this gingersnaps cookie recipe and the book sounds great! The favorite cookie in my house is white chocolate macadamia. EMS591@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My favorite cookie is chocolate fudge cookie with peppermint.
    Deana
    Jhdwayne@peoplepc.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the recipe! My favorite cookie is gingersnaps. Looking forward to reading the book! Dspinlexo@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations on the release of your latest Spice Shop mystery, Leslie! You know I already got my copy of Killing Thyme, so please do NOT enter me in the draw. I love gingersnaps cookies, so thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You early girl, you! What a tomato! (Uh-oh, launch day excitement has me breaking out in vegetable metaphors! Must be the influence of the cookbook you recommended!)

      Delete
  5. The favorite cookie in this house is probably chocolate chip and second would be Oreos. But I do make gingersnaps from a recipe given to me by a friend years ago. dbahn(at)iw(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love anything with lemon. So one of my favorites is Anginetti, Italian Lemon Knot Cookies. I can't eat just one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, there's a totally delish recipe for Lemon Thyme Shortbread in Killing Thyme -- I think you'll love it!

      Delete
    2. I love shortbread cookies! Lemon will be even better!

      Delete
  7. Happy bookday! Love the pepper in the cookies (it works well in gingerbread too), and the crunkly crust.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy bookday! Love the pepper in the cookies (it works well in gingerbread too), and the crunkly crust.

    ReplyDelete
  9. My favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip.... I somehow missed this series and am looking forward to reading this one.
    afarage (at) earthlink.net

    ReplyDelete
  10. My favorite cookie is lemon citrus. love the delectable flavor. Thanks for this great giveaway. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Petite, you MUST try the Lemon Thyme Shortbread Laurel makes in the book -- recipe included!

      Delete
  11. Favorite cookie of all is maple oatmeal. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. My husband's favorite is chocolate chip, but I prefer a good gingersnap.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. My favorite cookie is chocolate chips!
    I can't wait to read this, great review thanks
    Penney penneyw(at)sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  14. I make chocolate chip cookies for my grandchildren. That is their favorite. This sounds like a cookie I would enjoy! Thank you for the giveaway!
    mittens0831 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love ginger snaps! Now I have my own recipe Thankyou!!! vernagass@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Launch Day is such fun -- thank you all for celebrating with me!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Leslie, congrats on release day! My husband's absolute favorite cookie is the Ginger Snap! So I will be making your recipe for my Mr. Right!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for the recipe. I have alway loved gingersnaps so glad to know how to make them.
    The book sounds like a fun read.
    jwisley(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They really are easy, Joye -- no chilling dough, no rolling pin or cutting required. And the oil in the dough makes rolling them in your hands so easy!

      Delete
  19. I'm super excited for this release today! I'm waiting for the bookstore to tell me shipment is in! I'm still reading the first in this series right now but I should get some good reading time in this afternoon while my daughter is at dance. Yay for mommy reading time! Thanks for the recipe and congratulations on release day!!!
    awilcox1182@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Amanda! As a Dance Mom, you may appreciate some elements of this story -- I'll say no more for now!

      Delete
  20. chocolate chip cookies in this house. Book looks interesting.
    pwtish171@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Of course we love chocolate chip, but I'm always looking for a good ginger snap recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I make oatmeal chocolate chip cranberry bars.
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

    ReplyDelete
  23. These look particularly good because they are puffed up, not just flat and crisp.

    Favorite cookie? Peanut butter chocolate chip, with oatmeal chocolate a close second.

    libbydodd at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  24. I really shouldn't ask you all to talk about food in the morning, should I? Now I'm hungry -- again!

    ReplyDelete
  25. There aren't many cookies we don't like, but I think Snickerdoodles is the favorite! Thanks for the giveaway.
    sallycootie@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love gingersnap cookies! This recipe is interesting. I would never think to put pepper in my cookies but I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for a chance to win! crossxjo @hotmail. com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow - odd to add pepper to a cookie recipe. Thank you for the giveaway - always fun getting a chance to win. BMalic610@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Ginger snaps are just so good although not sure about the pepper as i am not a fan of pepper and with my meds it makes my taste buds just nuts . That was a little joke there but thank you for the chance to win if i do i would love to post reviews after I read. ptclayton2@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Our house likes Dianne Mott Davidson's Death By Chocolate cookie.
    kckendler at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Favorite cookie by far is chocolate mint cookies for me while my kids love chocolate chip.
    lisak1793@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. My husband loves any cookie that doesn't have coconut - I'll eat anything with chocolate! cheers@marjimmanor.com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Blogger has stopped letting me comment on individual posts -- it must think I'm talking too much! So let me say how much I enjoy hearing from you, and talking mysteries and COOKIES!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I can't wait to use this recipe at xmas and see what everyone thinks! Never would have thought of it. At least once a week someone stops and gets NY bakery black and whites. Thanks for sharing the tid bit about Seattle and spices. It's fun to see where your inspiration for the great series came from. Would love to win! Thanks for the chance! Congrats!!

    Bec
    Rlewis11797 (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  34. Our favorite seem to be peanut butter crackles cookies that we make. ��
    bsmiley6918 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  35. I love gingersnaps -- I don't know if any that I have tried have had pepper in them though... I really like what I think are Amish Ginger cookies -- they come in a container like Pringles chips and are almost paper thin. They have a bit of a bite! Congratulations on your book release! bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  36. I had no idea that there were different types of cinnamon. How cool!
    jenne.turner@unt.edu

    ReplyDelete
  37. looks amazing. - mollie iemercedez@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. I know my family will LOVE this recipe for the holidays! Thank You for the yummy recipe and the awesome opportunity to win Killing Thyme! Super excited!
    -Brandi
    b.alexander9212@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I think they'd be lovely served with a Brandy Alexander!

      Delete
  39. Well, that was interesting! I can't say I've really ever given much thought to where spices come from. I think I've been too busy trying to figure out the fresh herbs at the grocery store, haha! We didn't use a whole lot of different spices in my household as a child either, mostly just what was required for baking, but I like experimenting with new things. If I have to buy a spice for one recipe, I will try to find new recipes that use it so it isn't wasted. Thank goodness for spices, because food would be so boring without them. 2boys4me (at) gmail (dot) com.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And this is just a pinch of the spice lore you'll learn if you stick with me!

      Delete
  40. Happy Book Birthday Leslie!! I love gingersnaps, they are one of my favorites. Thanks for the recipe and for the opportunity to win this wonderful new book. chettysmom@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. I love all kinds of cookies. As long as they don't have coconut in them, I like them. This time of year I make a gingersnap cookie with a pumpkin dip. It is so good.
    jjrrdavid@live.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. The favorite cookie in my house is oatmeal. lclee59(at)centurylink(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  43. Love cookies - they even called me Cookie as a toddler some 70+ years ago! My boys love my no-bake Peanut Butter Date Balls.
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  44. Chocolate chip is my favorite but I love a good ginger snap. Biszemom@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  45. I love Leslie Budewitz writing. It has just something special, much like these cookies I imagine. I am not a big cookie eater (candy rules for me), but I do enjoy a samoa or the knock offs and gingerbread or really lebkucken. I do not need to enter as I have read and loved the book. If you havent gotten it, do it. You will truly enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kay! So glad you enjoyed Killing Thyme! I bet you've eaten a lot of pfeffernus, too -- a bit of a gingery-peppery flavor underneath the powdered sugar!

      Delete
  46. Chocolate chip cookies are the favorites here. I never would have thought to put pepper in my cookies. Still not sure about it (not a pepper person). lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At the library mystery tea, I ate a gingersnap made from my recipe by another baker, who wisely did not skimp on the pepper. What it adds is a touch of bite, with little bark -- flavor, not heat. Which is what I think spice ought to do, in most recipes. Fun to turn a recipe over to someone else and enjoy the results! Do try the pepper -- I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

      Delete
  47. Those cookies sound so good! The book even better!! Donamaekutska7@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  48. I love dessert especially cookies!! The cookies look awesome!! My email is piogkm19@aol.com Thank you for a chance to win

    ReplyDelete
  49. Double chocolate chip are my favorites. Love this series and can't wait to read the book. mcastor07@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  50. Just a chocolate cookie with powedered sugar sprinkled on top....vickiela3@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  51. Our family favorite is good old chocolate chip... though my hubby prefers a crispy cookie and I like them soft and chewy. The kids will eat them in any form. I also like oatmeal with chocolate chips or peanut butter, or plain peanut butter cookies. And though I don't get excited about (baked) sugar cookies, I make a tasty edible raw sugar cookie dough that I can down in one sitting! Thanks for the cookie recipe and the giveaway, Leslie! And happy release day!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Spritz are probably my favorite cookies but I do really like Ginger Snaps also. I am really enjoying Guilty As Cinnamon right now and am looking forward to receiving my copy of Killing Thyme, which should be coming any day. I don't need to win this. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, spritz! My mother made them with such care and delicacy -- more than I can manage! And the book you won last week on Killer Characters is in the mail!

      Delete
  53. Love gingersnaps and these sounds scrumptious!

    ReplyDelete
  54. I've always liked ginger snaps and I would love to win a copy of your book. Of course, I'm a cookie monster. I love many kinds of cookies.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Off to the Library Mystery Tea -- we'll chat more about COOKIES later!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Love gingersnaps! Zeta(at)iwon(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  57. Love this series! I can't wait to read "Killing Thyme". Can't wait to see what Pepper is up to.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cookies look delicious. I love cozy mysteries. Thank you for the chance to win. Lisamil46@gmail.com

      Delete
  58. Love gingersnaps. Have never tried
    to make my own but I'll use this recipe
    and see what happens.
    thanks.
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  59. Happy release day!! These will be great for the holidays. My favorite is root beer. I turned my nose up the first time they were offered to me as did everyone else when I made them, but we all came around and now they don't last long enough to share with anyone new. =) konecny7(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Root beer cookies? Now that's a new one to me, but it sounds fun!

      Delete
  60. I LOVE gingersnaps and this recipe sounds great! Thanks for having such a great giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Sounds like a tasty recipe. Thanks for this wonderful series & a chance to win the newest book. doward1952@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  62. Love Leslie's books!! jawdance@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  63. Looking forward to trying this with gluten-free flour

    ReplyDelete
  64. Tues afternoon, I spoke at a mystery tea at my local library. One of the staffers made the gingersnaps -- double the size of mine -- and the shortbread, and both were excellent. All the fun and none of the baking!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Waiting to hear from the winners before sharing the names. Thanks to all of you for helping me celebrate Killing Thyme!

    ReplyDelete