Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: coffee break recipes

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD WITH A TWIST & WIN A NEW YORK CHEESECAKE from @CleoCoyle

From Cleo Coyle: Happy spring, everyone! Marc and I recently sent out a special Spring Fling Newsletter with book news, fun info, videos, recipes, and a tasty Basket of Goodies Giveaway that includes a chance to win a fantastic prize package featuring...

> A signed copy of our brand-new Coffeehouse Mystery, No Roast for the Weary, in its beautiful first edition hardcover format.

> A sturdy, canvas Coffeehouse Mystery tote bag.

> A set of Cleo recipe cards, and...

> A whole New York Cheesecake (regular or sugar-free/lowcarb) shipped from a famous NYC restaurant!

Click here to jump

to our giveaway!

NOTE: You must be an active subscriber to our Cleo Coyle Newsletter to win. See you there!

And now...

giph courtesy giphy

Let's make some

Cornbread with a Twist!

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery

series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

☕ A Recipe Note from Cleo

Here in New York, the beloved toasted corn muffin, slathered with butter, has been a classic morning nosh at diners and delis for decades. Maybe that's why I prefer to eat my cornbread as a breakfast food or an afternoon coffee-break cake.

I know many of you don't see it that way. For you, cornbread is strictly a dinner item, served as a savory side with ribs or chicken. You might add corn kernels or chopped jalapeños to your batter but never sugar.

To you I say: keep an open mind! :)

If you’re not a fan of dry, grainy cornbread, this may be the recipe for you, with or without the sugar. The crumb is tender and tasty (more cake-like). The sour cream is my secret, along with my (subjectively favorite) ratio of flour to cornmeal.

This sweet cornbread is delicious plain, slathered with butter, or even drizzled with orange blossom honey. And speaking of a slight note of citrus, that's one twist I enjoy giving to my breakfast corn bread. I like to add a little orange zest to my morning cornbread. The light orange fragrance in the warm, sweet bread starts off my spring day just right. If you’re not a fan of oranges, leave it out. But it you are, you may enjoy it as much as I do.

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recipe that you can print,
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Cleo Coyle's
Cornbread with a Twist

Makes one 8- or 9-inch square pan of cornbread
(This recipe will also work in a 7 x 11-inch pan.)

Ingredients

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk (whole is best or 2%)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(optional) 1 tablespoon orange zest (grated orange peel, no white pith)

CLEO INGREDIENT NOTE: If you've never "zested" an orange, lemon or lime, Chef Gordon Ramsay will show you how in the video below...

If you don't see a video below, click here to watch it.

CLEO NOTE CONTINUED...

Although I have a boxed grater like Chef Ramsay's, I find a microplane grater/zester makes zesting citrus fruits even easier and well worth the small investment. To see the stainless steel microplane tool that I use (and/or purchase one for yourself), click here.

Directions:

One bowl mixing method: First preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg, milk, sour cream, sugar, salt, and oil.

When the mixture is well blended and the sour cream smoothly incorporated, measure in the flour and cornmeal. Evenly sprinkle over the baking powder and soda. If using, add orange zest now.

Switching to a spoon or spatula, mix to create a lumpy batter. Do not over-mix or you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and your cornbread will be tough instead of tender.

Prep an 8- or 9-inch square pan by coating with
non-stick spray (or buttering and dusting with flour).

Pour batter into pan and

spread into an even layer.

Bake in preheated oven
for about 25 minutes.

When a toothpick inserted in the center

comes out clean, remove from oven.

Then cut into squares, and...

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo

CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries, now celebrating more than twenty years in print. With more than 1 million books sold, they have gained an enthusiastic following. Cleo's "relentlessly entertaining" (Criminal Element) novels have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech; earned starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus; received Best of Year selection honors from multiple reviewers; and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. They live in New York City, where they write independently and together, including the nationally bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries.

Visit Cleo's online coffeehouse here.

And follow Cleo at these links...

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To Buy:

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"EASILY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS THAT I HAVE READ THIS YEAR...10 STARS!" —Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book

"A KNOCKOUT STORY....one of the best books in this endearing series...a TERRIFIC READ..." —Dru Ann Love, Raven Award-winning reviewer, Dru's Book Musings

No Roast for the Weary is also a culinary mystery with a killer menu of delicious recipes. Click here or on the image below to see the free illustrated guide to our book's recipe section...

Click here or the image above for
Cleo's Free Illustrated Guide to
the recipes you'll find published in
No Roast for the Weary.

Get a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here or on the image below.

Click here for Free
Title Checklist of Cleo Coyle's
Books in Order

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Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Little Eggnog Crumb Cakes from Cleo Coyle

Marc and I always look forward to the flavors of the holiday season, including (and especially) eggnog. Tender and rich, these little cakes magically capture the rich and beautiful flavor of eggnog. They are superb paired with coffee, which makes them a lovely breakfast treat, a satisfying afternoon snack, and even a delight on dessert and party trays, especially during these December holidays.

Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah (which begins at sundown this evening) or Christmas, which is fast on its way, we wish you peace, love, joy...and happy feasting! ~ Cleo

Now let's start baking...

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

Learn about their books

by clicking here and here.

A Note from Cleo

Our readers may remember a version of this recipe from our Coffeehouse Mystery Holiday Buzz, a fun and festive read for the holiday season. Our amateur sleuth (coffeehouse manger Clare) finds a body after catering a glittering Christmas party and is quickly pulled into a case that once again puts her on the path to solving more than one New York mystery.

To see more of the recipes we featured in Holiday Buzz, click here for the Free Recipe Guide.

To learn more
or download the Free
Recipe Guide, click here.

As for these little cakes, they are delicious and addictive. Frankly, Marc and I find it hard to stop eating them. In this version of the recipe, you may notice I use the crumb mixture in two layers. The top layer, of course, creates a crunchy, sweet streusel. The layer in the center is there for another reason--and not striation. Instead, it magically melts into the batter, keeping the cupcake crumb extra-moist during the high-heat baking (which is necessary for the proper rise). The nutmeg in the crumb mixture also boosts the flavor, both inside and on top of the little cakes.

Now let's get to it: festive cupcakes for the feasting season. May you bake with love and eat with joy to the world!

☕ ~ Cleo Coyle, author of The Coffeehouse Mysteries

🍴

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

Click here for the
Free Recipe PDF

Cleo Coyle's Little

Eggnog Crumb Cakes

Makes 6 cupcakes

For the crumb topping

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of baking powder
2-1/2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the cupcakes

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup white, granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten with fork
1/3 cup eggnog
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, spoon into cup and level off

Step 1—Make crumb topping: First preheat your oven to 375° F. Make the crumb topping. (See directions at the end of this recipe.) Set the crumb topping into the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the batter.

Step 2—Mix batter: Using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter and two sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg, eggnog, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract, and blend well. Finally, add the flour and mix only until a smooth, thick batter forms. (The flour should be completely incorporated into the batter, but do not over-mix at this stage or you'll develop the gluten in the flour and your muffins will be tough instead of tender.)

Step 3—Prep for baking: Line 6 cups of a non-stick cupcake pan with paper liners. Place a dollop of the thick batter into each cup...

Sprinkle a light layer of crumb topping over each of the dollops. (This interior layer of crumb mixture will melt into the cakes, keeping them moist during the high-heat baking.)

Add the rest of the batter, dividing evenly among the 6 cups. Top the batter with the all of the remaining crumb mixture.

Step 4—Bake and cool: Bake for 20 minutes in your well-pre-heated 375° F. oven. Do not over-bake. The crumb cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into a test cake comes out clean of wet batter. Like all cookies and cakes, these Little Eggnog Cakes are delicate when hot and will fall apart if roughly handled. So please do allow them to cool a bit before handling and serving, and they’ll set up just fine. Then start that pot of coffee and get ready to eat with pure joy!

How to Make Crumb Topping

Crumb topping is easy to make with or without a food processor. I'm sharing both methods below...

To prepare with a food processor:

Place all “crumb topping” ingredients inside the food processor and pulse until you see coarse crumbs. Take care not to over-work the mixture. You do not want chunks of wet dough, just coarse crumbs. NOTE: If you over-process the topping into dough, all is not lost. You can correct the mistake by adding flour 1 tablespoon at time and pulsing until you see crumbs. Now set the crumb topping into the refrigerator to chill while you make the batter. FYI: You can store the finished crumb topping in a plastic container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

To mix by hand:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, nutmeg and pinch of baking powder. Add the cubes of cold butter and using clean fingers squeeze and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture turns into coarse crumbs. Any large lumps should be worked on until the mixture resembles the coarse crumbs in my photos. NOTE: If you over-work the topping into dough, all is not lost. You can correct the mistake by working in more flour, 1 tablespoon at time, until you see crumbs. Set aside in the refrigerator to chill while you make the batter. FYI: You can store the finished crumb topping in a plastic container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.