Saturday, September 19, 2015

Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies for #Bookclubweek from @PegCochran & #Giveaway

Welcome to our Book Club!  Hi Lisa, Fred, Tina, Dru Ann, Shelley, Kathy, Sue and SueAnn.  Help yourselves to some cookies and a glass of wine or sparkling punch and have a seat.  There's the doorbell--I'll be right back.

Now that we're all here, let's enjoy some delicious bourbon bacon chocolate chunk cookies.  When I told my husband about this recipe, he was VERY skeptical.  Now he's a convert!

So, without further ado, here is the recipe which comes from Recipe Girl via a famous bourbon maker (I used a different brand--don't tell!)

Ingredients:

3/4 pound center cut thick bacon
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup reserved bacon fat, chilled until solidified
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon of your choice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

Saute bacon until golden and crisp.

 Center cut thick bacon




Fry bacon until crisp and golden, drain on paper towels and chop into small pieces.

  
           






 Reserve 1/2 cup bacon fat and refrigerate until solidified.

 Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

With a mixer, cream butter, reserved bacon fat and sugar.  Add bourbon and vanilla and combine.  Add eggs one at a time and combine.  Beat in flour mixture and stir in bacon and chocolate chunks.







Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes (mine took 11 minutes.)  Cool on cookie sheet for five minutes then transfer to rack to cool completely.




 Enjoy!  Now let's begin our book discussion.

Tonight we'll be talking about Berried Secrets, the first book in my Cranberry Cove Series.



Here are a few ideas for things to discuss:

1.  Monica's business has failed so she leaves Chicago to go to Cranberry Cove to help her half-brother Jeff with his cranberry farm.  Would you be willing to do that for a sibling? Or do you think Monica should have stayed in Chicago and tried again with another business?

2.  Monica's fiance was killed in a swimming accident.  She is attracted to Greg Harper, owner of Book 'Em, a mystery bookstore in Cranberry Cove.  Should she risk dating again?  How long should someone wait after a tragedy or a break-up?

3. Cranberry Cove is a small town and gossip runs rampant (very useful when trying to solve a murder!).  Do you gossip?  Do you believe everything you hear?  Or do you close your ears to wagging tongues?

I'd love to give away a copy of Berried Secrets to someone who leaves a comment!  Tell me whether you'd prefer small town living or big city life!

And coming in May 2016 is Berry the Hatchet, book #2 in the Cranberry Cove series. 



 
Available for pre-order now from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Thanks for joining my book club today!  Hope to see you back again.  Meanwhile, stop by my website to sign up for my newsletter--I'll keep you informed of new releases, contests and giveaways. And I love interacting with readers on my Facebook page.

Some of my other books you might enjoy:



Writing as Meg London:




39 comments:

  1. I prefer small town living :)
    jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

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  2. I think I would prefer small town (less traffic).
    myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. I think I would prefer small town living but I've mostly lived in suburbs.
    peggyhyndman(at)att(dot)net

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  4. Small town living, for me! patucker54 (at aol dot com)

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  5. I would love a small town but my husband works in a big city and wants to move close to his work.
    MarshaMysteryreader@yahoo.com

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  6. Small town is so appealing. Thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. I would love to experience small town living since I grew up in a large city and now live in a medium sized one that is still growing. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  8. Enjoying Book Club Week! I think I prefer a mix somewhere in-between, I like small town living but not to the point where not only does everybody know your name, they know all your business. And there are a few big cities I love so would like to live right in the middle of the excitement.

    Thanks for the giveaway.
    sallycootie@gmail.com

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  9. I have lived in the same city all my life. Not the same house. I can actually say at one time it was a small home town which I liked growing up, but I prefer the suburbs which is where I live now in the same city. Thank you for a chance to win. crossxjo @hotmail com

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  10. I prefer small town living, but I don't mind visiting big cities like New York and San Francisco at historic sites.

    bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

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  11. I love living in a small town , and then visiting big towns on vacation ! kathambre@yahoo.com

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  12. I LOVE to visit the city, but I'll always be a Small Town Girl!!

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  13. I've lived in both cities and small towns and several in between. I've enjoyed them all but as I get older, I prefer a smaller town. Life seems to be a bit simpler, there's less traffic and commute times are shorter. Nevertheless, I love to visit cities (Washington DC, NYC, etc), where there is so much to see and do.
    jrobinson12(at)austin(dot) rr(dot)com

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  14. Wonderful new cover, Peg! And this recipe is too tempting not to try. Yum!

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  15. Although I'm from a big city, I dream of retiring to a small town.
    karen (dot) Kenyon (at) rogers (dot) com

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  16. What a wonderful recipe you posted. I am going to share it with a neighbor as her husband just loves bacon! The cover is so good also. ptclayton2@aol.com

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  17. We lived in the big city and then retired to a small town. I'd love to move back to the city with all it's diversity. Those cookies look so good that they should almost be illegal---I must try them. Thanks for the contest.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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  18. I've lived in a mid-sized city all my life, but my first teaching job was with Los Angeles Unified, and I discovered the vast opportunities of a "humongous" city. I loved the diverse architecture, intimate and big time theater performances, restaurants so varied I didn't repeat for months, and shopping on Rodeo Drive...well, window shopping. But, I returned home with little neighborhoods and wonderful strip malls and coffee shops. kat8762@aol.com

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  19. I grew up in a big city in Jersey but my folks moved to a small rural town in Florida. A complete polar opposite. And I have been here since. There are some aspects of city living that I miss and wish we had here but I enjoy a small town were everyone knows everyone. Would love to read this book.
    b5sycop@nefcom.net

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    Replies
    1. Where did you grow up? I grew up in New Providence--about 25 miles from NYC>

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  20. I think they each have their perks. I like the slow pace and friendliness of a small town but I love the availability of the arts in cities. I like the suburbs best.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  21. I'm a small town girl but I don't gossip! dblaser(at)windstream(dot)net

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  22. Bourbon, bacon, and chocolate--the three major food groups!
    Oh, yes please.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  23. Small town always
    ofhp@att.net

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  24. I grew up in a small town! Live in a city now but not near hustle and bustle but prefer small town!

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  25. Small town for sure!

    ElaineE246 at msn dot com

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  26. I prefer small towns! I grew up in a township in Northern Ohio and while I currently live in a bigger city (40,000 people), I often go over to the town next to us which has 5,000 residents. Thank you for having this contest! pfistersk@yahoo.com

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  27. The recipe sounds great. I prefer small town. I live in Knoxville, tn and if I could I would move to a much smaller town. Knoxville is not huge but to me it is still way to big.
    Moonbay7399@gmail.com

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  28. Hi Peg! I'm actually suburban girl…but if I had to choose I think I'd prefer small town life (as long as I have access to the Internet - lol!). The cookies sound yummy, and I probably be willing to try something with bacon in it, but I'm with your husband and a little skeptical! nicolev.girldetective@gmail.com p.s. I love the covers and titles of your books! :-)

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  29. I like a small town for the convenience of things being close and perhaps getting to know people in a neighborhood. Living in the suburbs most of my life has its perks too, all the shopping, large hospitals close, multiple things to do. I guess there's good and bad for both!

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  30. The cookies sound good! I would prefer small town living, small towns are cozier then big cities!
    Lisa
    hseaside5@aim.com

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  31. Bourbon, bacon and chocolate! I am at that party!!!
    I grew up in a big town, hung around big towns, worked in big towns, loved it all.
    I live in a tiny spot....now.....and I love that too..except.....I am far from shopping, the symphony, BOOK STORES...so I am not so keen on the small part. Where I live, people go and visit on week-ends!! LOL!!
    Leaving and starting a new job.....that is all part of the healing business, don't you think?- to learn to move on, start a new life..She would have a hard time doing that if she stayed...
    I gossip if what I have to say is true...is that gossip? I LOVE listening to gossip and only take to heart....anything said.....depending on who is saying it.
    Is'nt a fiance almost like married? Pretty serious love and committments...I'd thing, for one..whenever she felt like it! But..a year...maybe..she has to "lose" all that dedication she had for her fiance.....
    the3beersus@yahoo.com

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  32. I've always lived in the suburbs. Kind of in between small town and city. Would not like living in a big city but don't want to live far away from shopping, doctors, book stores, coffee shops, etc.
    bobntoni@aol.com

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  33. I grew up in what I considered a small town, actually it was a township. But then when I got married I moved to an even smaller town. I prefer smaller towns. Bigger towns mean more people, more cars, more congestion, which makes me nervous. robeader53@yahoo.com

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  34. I would definitely go back to small town country living if I could! Suburbs are not quite the same as the small town mentality. I miss the small stores and knowing almost everyone. Before I moved away the guy at the Mobile station still pumped your gas for you. I suppose it has changed now, but it would be nice not to hear somebody's woofer every 5 minutes as the drive past!
    eeyore722@gmail.com

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  35. Love the suburbs of a medium sized city. Good access to shopping, restaurants and culture, but friendly local area. Not sure if I'm brave enough for cookies with bacon. I'd love to win this book - cranberries are one of my favorite foods - especially dried in salads!

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  36. I don't think I could ever go back to living in a small town. I NEED a bookstore, museums, and movie theatre near me. I do however love reading about small towns.

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  37. DEFINITELY love a small town! Visiting a city is fine but I couldn't live there!

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