Showing posts with label A Brew to a Kill. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

How to make a Chocolate-Espresso Brownie Affogato and Happy Book News from Cleo Coyle

In Italian, affogato means drowned.

In a cafe, an affogato is a dessert...one that coffee-lovers wouldn't mind drowning in!

If you order an affogato, a small bowl (or cup) of gelato or ice cream will be brought to you with a shot of fresh espresso beside it.

To complete the affogato, you simply pour the hot espresso over the ice cream, drowning it in the earthy warmth of the coffee. This combination of sweet cream and dark heat is the heart of the dessert's appeal (at least to coffee-lovers...and Italians :)).

What I described is a basic affogato, but there are more elaborate variations.

For example, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis once made a gingerbread affogato. She infused a simple syrup with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves; and then poured the syrup over the ice cream with the espresso.

More common variations include a shot of liqueur served beside the shot of espresso (such as amaretto or Frangelico). Today, I'm sharing my "Coffeehouse" version, served over a base of warm-from-the-oven Chocolate-Espresso Brownies.

I'm also celebrating some happy news about my newly released Coffeehouse Mystery A Brew to a Kill. More on that news at the end of this post.

First, let's get cooking!

~ Cleo

Cleo Coyle, a former Brownie
(and Girl Scout), is author
author of The Coffeehouse
Mysteries

Cleo's Coffeehouse
Chocolate-Walnut
Espresso Brownie Affogato

Warm brownies out of the oven are a little piece of heaven. Over the years, I've baked up plenty of pans from scratch and shared recipes with you. For example:

Aphrodisiac Brownies, from Murder by Mocha, (click here to see that recipe) and...

Black Bean Brownies from A Brew to a Kill (click here to see that one).

Today, I'm sharing a quick-and-easy espresso brownie that you can whip up with a boxed mix. Why a mix? For those of you who don't bake much, this is an easy and foolproof way to bake a pan of brownies. Where did the recipe come from? Twenty years ago, brownie mixes had one flavor: chocolate. Being a coffee geek, I threw together this recipe, which infuses the earthy flavor of my favorite bean into the crumb.

This recipe is adaptable to practically any boxed brownie mix. While you can now buy mocha brownie mixes, I find adding these fresh ingredients to a basic chocolate fudge mix produces better tasting espresso brownies. So give it a try and (as always) I sincerely hope you will...eat with joy! ~ Cleo

To download this recipe in a PDF document that you can print, save, or share, click here.

Ingredients

1 Box of Chocolate Brownie Mix (for a 9 x 13-inch pan)

1/4 cup espresso or strongly brewed coffee

1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder (*see my note at end of recipe)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

TO MAKE THE BROWNIES: Pour the dry brownie mix into a large bowl. Do not add water as directed on the package. Instead, pour the espresso or strongly brewed coffee into a cup and dissolve the espresso powder into it. Add the vanilla and pour this mixture into the large bowl with the dry brownie mix. The brownie mix directions will likely ask you to add 2 or 3 eggs (2 for fudge-like brownies, 3 for cake-like). Make your choice and add the eggs. Add the oil required (usually 1/2 cup). Stir as directed, 50 strokes, do not over-mix but be sure to scrape down the bowl and blend in any visible dry mix into the wet batter. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and (if you like) chopped nuts. Pour into a pan that's been lightly coated with non-stick spray or greased with butter. Bake as directed on the package and cut into squares.

*A note on espresso powder: Espresso powder is not ground up espresso beans. It is made from freeze-dried espresso. It dissolves in water to create instant espresso. While I don't recommend drinking espresso made from freeze-dried powder, I highly recommend using good quality espresso powder (rather than freeze-dried instant coffee) to add coffee flavor to your baking and cooking. Look for espresso powder in the instant coffee section of your grocery store. Or click here to see brands that you can purchase online.

TO MAKE THE AFFOGATO: Place two warm brownies in a small bowl or one brownie in a coffee cup. Add a scoop of ice cream or gelato. Serve this with a shot of hot espresso or strongly brewed coffee. One shot = 1 to 1-1/2 ounces of liquid (or 2 to 3 tablespoons). The general rule for an affogato is one shot of coffee per scoop of ice cream. To finish, pour the hot coffee over the cold ice cream and warm brownie and...

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice).

Friend me on facebook here.

Follow me on twitter here.

Visit my online coffeehouse here.

Sweet News!

After a year on sale in
hardcover and e-book,
A Brew to a Kill
is now an official
bestseller in paperback!

"A foodie's delight...And a
satisfyingly rich mystery."

~ Kirkus Reviews

A Brew to a Kill
#3 bestseller
in paperback mysteries
at B&N nationwide!

We also made B&N's Top-20*
(in store) bestsellers list for all
mass market paperbacks sold,
huzzah!

*B&N Store Bestselllers
Aug. 20, 2013

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling

works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark

Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the

12 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries, which Cleo writes
under the name
Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Bestseller #Giveaway A BREW TO A KILL + Chocolate Ricotta Muffins by Cleo Coyle

Today I'm celebrating another step in the publishing process with the release of A BREW TO A KILL in its mass market paperback format. (Huzzah!)

It's a beautiful edition with a foiled title, and for those readers who collect my Coffeehouse Mystery series in paperback, now is your chance to get it.

I'm at Fresh Fiction.com

this week with a giveaway...

Click here (or on the link below), comment on the Fresh Fiction post, and you are automatically entered to win an autographed copy of my hardcover mystery bestseller* in its new paperback edition.

The winner of the book will also receive a fun Gimme Coffee Latte Cup, made in Italy, which you can sip from as you--

Read with joy...

(At least, I hope you will ~ Cheers!)

~ Cleo

*Nielsen Bookscan

Jump to Fresh Fiction
and Enter my Giveaway by...

CLICKING
HERE.

Low-Fat Chocolate
Ricotta Muffins

My readers might recall these light, chocolaty muffins, which are mentioned in A Brew to a Kill. As the story opens, coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi hires a sweet-natured dietitian to help her lighten some of the higher calorie items on her menu.

When Lilly is brutally struck by a hit-and-run driver, Clare’s outrage propels her into tracking down the culprit; and once again, Clare is sleuthing her way in and out of trouble.

This recipe duplicates one of Lilly's coffeehouse menu makeovers. May you eat it with joy--and in good health!

To download a PDF

document of this recipe
that you can print, save
or share... click here.

For new readers...
There are over 20 more recipes
featured in A Brew to a Kill.

For a quick, illustrated
look at them, click here
or on the image below...

Drink with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice).

Friend me on facebook here.

Follow me on twitter here.

Visit my online coffeehouse here.

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling

works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark

Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the

12 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.

To learn more, click here.

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries, which Cleo writes
under the name
Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

How to make Maple Bacon Breakfast Muffins from Scratch or Pancake Mix by Cleo Coyle

These delicious muffins deliver the taste of a pancake breakfast in one bite: maple syrup, bacon, and fluffy buttermilk flapjacks. I'll show you how to make them two ways: (1) from scratch or (2) with a pancake mix.

Cleo Coyle’s

Maple Bacon Pancake Muffins

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

Learn about their books

by clicking here and here.

To create this treat, I started with my own favorite maple muffin recipe and swapped regular milk for buttermilk to mimic the richness of old-fashioned buttermilk pancake batter.

Next I folded in caramelized bacon bits, made from a recipe that I first shared in my 9th Coffeehouse Mystery, Roast Mortem, a tribute to firefighters (with firehouse recipes).

Finally, before baking these muffins, I topped them with a sprinkling of more candied bacon bits and a light drizzle of maple syrup.

The muffin itself is a bonus recipe from A Brew to a Kill, which takes readers on a culinary odyssey through New York City after a food truck war between a “Kupcake Kween” and a coffeehouse manager turns deadly. My husband (and partner in crime writing) flipped for these muffins.

May you eat them with joy!

~ Cleo

☕

To download a PDF version

of this recipe that you can

print, save, or share, click here.

Cleo's Maple Bacon

Pancake Muffins

From Scratch Version...

Makes 6 regular-size muffins (or 12 mini muffins)

Ingredients:

For the bacon:
Caramelized bacon bits will consist of…
6 slices of bacon, smoked or maple
+ 6 teaspoons of light brown sugar

For the batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt (if using table salt, use only a pinch)
1 egg, lightly beaten with fork
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup + 1½ teaspoons pure maple syrup (not “pancake syrup," see note)*
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use light)

*Note: “Pancake syrup” is not maple syrup. It consists of corn syrup flavored with maple extract. If you use pancake syrup instead of pure maple syrup in this recipe, be warned that your muffins will be dry. Use pure maple syrup for best results.

Directions:

Step 1 – Make caramelized bacon bits: First preheat oven to 375° F. Muffins need a very hot oven to rise properly, so give the oven a good 20 minutes of pre-heating. Meanwhile, cut 6 slices of bacon into small pieces. (Tip: I use kitchen shears.)

Sauté over medium-high heat until half-cooked—still soft and flexible with fat just beginning to change color. Drain fat. Add your 6 teaspoons of light brown sugar. (This measure is the equivalent of 2 tablespoons; you want 1 teaspoon of brown sugar for each slice of bacon.)

Stir and continue stirring over heat until bacon bits are cooked through but still flexible (do not cook until crisp and brittle). Transfer bacon bits to a plate, break up any clumps into a single layer. Set aside to cool.

Step 2 – One bowl mixing method: Combine flour, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well blended. Make a well in the center. Add fork-beaten egg, measure in canola oil, buttermilk, and 1/3 cup of the maple syrup (you will use the final 1½ teaspoons from the ingredient list later). Whisk the batter until well blended, but do not over-mix or you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and your muffins will be tough instead of tender. The batter will be loose. Fold in the bacon bits, reserving enough to sprinkle over the muffin tops before baking in the next step.

Step 3 – Sprinkle and Drizzle: Coat 6 muffin cups and top of muffin pan with non-stick spray. If using paper liners, coat the papers as well as the top of the pan. Divide batter among the 6 sprayed or lined muffin cups. Sprinkle the reserved caramelized bacon bits over the top of each cup’s batter and drizzle a small amount (¼ teaspoon, no more) of maple syrup on top of the bacon bits and batter.

Step 4 – Bake: If baking standard muffins, check them in 15 minutes for doneness. If baking mini-muffins check them in 8 minutes. Muffins may need a few more minutes than stated, depending on your oven. They’re done when a toothpick inserted comes out with no wet batter clinging to it.

NOTE: The maple syrup drizzle will cause the muffin tops to stick a bit to the pan. Simply use a butter knife to gently free it before removing muffins from cups. FYI - I use the toothpick method to remove baked muffins from their pans. Stick two toothpicks into the muffin from opposite ends and gently lift.

"Pancake Mix" Version

For fun, I included this “pancake mix” option for making the batter in this recipe. The difference between the scratch recipe and this one is mainly texture. The scratch version has a more cake-like crumb while the texture of the pancake mix version is more like a cornmeal muffin, but it’s very good too, and worth a try if you’re curious—and have some pancake mix handy in your pantry! ~ Cleo

Makes 6 regular-size muffins (or 12 mini muffins)

Ingredients:

For bacon:
Caramelized bacon bits consisting of…
6 slices of bacon, smoked or maple
+ 6 teaspoons of light brown sugar

For batter:
1-½ cup dry buttermilk flavor pancake mix (What brand? See my note below.)
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten with fork
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (and not “pancake syrup”)
½ cup whole milk (1% or 2% will work; but do not use skim milk)

*Note on pancake mix: Do not use Bisquick. Do not use a “just add water” mix. Use a mix that requires the addition of milk, eggs, and oil or melted butter. (I use Aunt Jemima Buttermilk flavor.) No matter what brand you choose, a buttermilk flavored mix will give you the best results.

Directions: Follow the directions in the previous recipe with this exception. In Step 2, use this batter instead: Whisk together the pancake mix, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, fork-beaten egg, oil, maple syrup, and milk until well blended. Do not over-mix. Fold in the caramelized bacon bits, reserving enough to decorate each muffin top before baking. The batter will be loose. (Now move to Step 3 in the "from scratch" recipe.)

☕

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice).

Friend me on facebook here.

Follow me on twitter here.

Visit my online coffeehouse here.

☕

Our NEW Coffeehouse Mystery!

Mystery Pick of the Month! --Library Journal
*

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound * BAM

"A gripping and entertaining mystery"
--Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Penetrating insights" --Kirkus Reviews
*
* "Sure to delight" --Publishers Weekly

🍴

This culinary mystery includes
25 delicious recipes! To get the
Free Recipe Guide, click here.

Click for Free Recipe Guide
to Shot in the Dark.

☕

Our bestselling hardcover is
now a bestseller in paperback...

3 Best of Year Lists

Top 10 Mysteries for Book Clubs 2017
Mystery Guild "Most Wanted" Selection

Amazon * B&N

BAM * IndieBound

🍴

This culinary mystery includes
more than 25 delicious recipes!
To get the Free Recipe Guide:
Click Here.

Click here for theFree Recipe Guide.

* * *

Clare goes to Washington!

Join amateur sleuth Clare Cosi
as she sets out to caffeinate
our nation's capital and solve
a capital crime.

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound

☕

For the Free Recipe
Guide, click here!

Click here for the
free Recipe Guide.

* * *

A fairy tale murder in Central Park...

"Wicked good" --Library Journal
*

"Fresh and fun...clever" --Booklist

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound

See Once Upon a Grind's

Recipe Guide by clicking here.

* * *

When Clare saves the life of a young

billionaire, she may lose her own...*

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound

See Billionaire Blend's Recipe
Guide by clicking here.

☕

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the 17 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.

👓

See mini plot summaries

for every title and news on

Cleo's next release!

🔍

Now a National Bestseller!

A magnificent cold case

mystery." ~ Fresh Fiction

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound * BAM

"He is hardboiled in the tradition of

Philip Marlowe, and she is a genteel

Miss Marple; yet the two opposites

make an explosive combination..."

—Midwest Book Review

Get a free title checklist,

with mini plot summaries,

by clicking here.

To learn more about the

Haunted Bookshop Mysteries

and meet Jack Shepard,

our PI ghost by clicking here.

☕

BOOK NEWS AND GIVEAWAYS!

If you'd like to be entered in our upcoming giveaways and receive special bonus recipes, sign up for our Coffeehouse Mystery Newsletter...