Mexican Wedding Cookies, Regular and Gluten-free Recipe, too

From Daryl aka Avery I’m done traveling to promote FINAL SENTENCE. Whee! Well, almost whee. I have a reading at Book'd in Burbank, California on Thursday (should be great fun) and a Great Summer Reads: Speed Dating with Authors on Sunday at Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach (which supports literacy and more), but then I’m done.

And none to soon. I need to sleep. I need to turn in edits on the next Cheese Shop Mystery, DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT. And soon I will need to turn in a completed manuscript for Cookbook #3, BETWEEN A BOOK AND A HARD PLACE.

What do they say about idle hands?

In FINAL SENTENCE, the focus is on cookies. Desiree, a celebrity chef who comes to town to help Jenna launch The Cookbook Nook, has a new cookbook out titled, get this, Cookies, Cakes, Sweets and More: A Desiree Divine Dessert Extravaganza. Have you ever looked at cookbook titles lately? They go on and on.  Delicious Cookies just wouldn’t do!  LOL

Anyway, in the story, one cookie stands out. There’s some question as to the authenticity of a Mexican Wedding Cookie recipe. Of course, I had to make one of my own, and this one is gluten-free. It’s the nuts that hold the hold thing together and give it the fabulous  (and I do mean fabulous) crunch!

The recipe is super easy. Jenna couldn't make them if they weren’t. She’s not quite a chef yet. Aw, heck, she can barely make anything with more than five ingredients.

The recipe is included at the back of the book!

Enjoy.

From Jenna:

This recipe (from my pal Desiree) requires that you form the dough into crescent shapes. Whoopee! Now we’re talking. I loved Play-Doh as a kid, and I loved to sculpt when I was in college. Making these cookies is all about having fun. Let the child in you party.

MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIE

(makes 30-36 cookies)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 cup chopped almonds (or pecans), chopped into very small pieces

Add water if necessary

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla.

At low speed, gradually add in the flour.

To chop the nuts, I used my food processer. You can also use a “whackah-whackah” (manual food chopper) or you can also put them in a baggie and smash them with a meat tenderizer hammer.

Mix in the nuts with a spatula.

For each cookie, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent. Dust hands with flour, if necessary, as you make more cookies.

Place cookies onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, but still warm, roll the cookies in additional confectioners' sugar to coat.

Cool entirely before eating. Store in an airtight container.

NOTE:  for gluten-free version, switch out regular flour to: 1 3/4 cup gluten-free flour plus 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan gum - it's that easy!!!  [I like a combo of sweet rice flour and tapioca flour; you can use almond flour or potato starch...]

 Add more powdered sugar if you'd like!!!

* * *

Here are some pictures from the event I attended last week in New York City, Thrillerfest.

Me and wonderful author pal Hilary Davidson

Part of the panel I was on with Patrick Lee, Barry Lancet, myself, and Ethan Cross

New author pal Gary Grossman who says he might be able to introduce me to the Food Channel. :)

Also, tomorrow, I’m giving away on my Facebook page, a book from two of the authors I signed with in Scottsdale, Arizona:  our very own MLK alum Jenn McKinlay GOING GOING GANACHE and Jane Cleland LETHAL TREASURE. So make sure you chime in if you’d like to win a copy!

* * * * * * *

The first book in A Cookbook Nook Mystery series is out!!

FINAL SENTENCE

You can order the book HERE.

It's set in the fictional coastal town of Crystal Cove, California and features Jenna Hart, a former advertising exec who returns home to help her aunt open a culinary bookshop and café.

The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series is out, too! 

TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE
You can order the book HERE. 

You can learn more about Daryl by clicking this LINK. "Like" my page on Facebook and "follow" me on Twitter. And if you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests! You can also follow and "like" Avery Aames the same way:  Facebook and Twitter. 

Make Fab Fudge in your Microwave from author Cleo Coyle

“Oh, chocolate fudge I’ll eat. What I can’t swallow is fudging, as in fudging statistics, fudging results, fudging the truth. Mathematicians call it a fudge factor—putting an extra calculation into an equation just so it will work out as expected. It’s what we law enforcement types call a scam.” 

~ Detective Mike Quinn, Murder by Mocha 

Scamming does indeed play a role in the plotline of my latest Coffeehouse Mystery, Murder by Mocha, but there is no fudging in this fudge recipe. The claim that you can make it in a microwave is true, and the results are delicious.

I’m especially confident stating this because my husband is a fudge fiend. While growing up, he gobbled homemade fudge that was continually cooked up by his mom. He enjoys sampling the treat wherever he travels; and every year, for his birthday, I ship handmade fudge to our New York home from the famous fudge makers of Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Cleo Coyle, spouse to a
fudge fiend is author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Marc was highly skeptical about this recipe, but after tasting it—and more of it, and even more of it, he declared it to be nearly as good as his mother's. 

Microwave fudge is nothing new, of course. You will find renditions of it all over the Net. This (crunchless) chocolate-hazelnut version is simply my take on the ingredients, ratios, and process. Why do I say crunchless? Because the light note of hazelnut in this treat comes not from actual nuts but Nutella, so the fudge stays smooth, creamy, and dreamy!

I’m sure 99% of you know what Nutella is, but for the 1% who don’t it’s a delicious spread (not unlike peanut butter) that blends chocolate and hazelnuts. If you’ve never bought it, look for it in your grocery where peanut butter is sold. 

Cleo Coyle's

Smooth and Dreamy
Chocolate-Hazelnut
Microwave Fudge

For a free PDF of this recipe that you can save, share, or print, hit the "print friendly" button on the bottom of this post or click here.

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 (12-ounce) package of good quality semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread (room temperature)

Step 1 – Prep pan: Crisscross the bottom of an 8 x 8 square pan with two sheets of parchment paper. The parchment sheets should be long enough to extend, like handles, over the edges of the pan. 

Step 2 – Melt with microwave: Place the milk into a microwave safe bowl. Cut the butter into the milk. Pour in the chocolate chips, and microwave it all for 30 seconds. ONLY 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Nuke it for another 30 and remove to stir again. This should be enough time to melt the chocolate and butter. If not, continue microwaving and stirring in 20 second increments until everything is melted.

NOTE: Do not simply microwave this mixture for 2 solid minutes without stirring. You run the risk of scorching the chocolate and completely ruining the fudge. Once chocolate is burned, there is no saving it. Be sure to melt it slowly, in increments. 

Step 3 – Finish the fudge: Into the melted mixture, sprinkle the salt and measure in the vanilla and Nutella. 

NOTE: Nutella should never be cooked in a microwave (this advice is also written on its label). High heat alters the texture and flavor, which is why I'm careful how I use it in recipes. What I want you to do is simply stir the Nutella into the warm, melted mixture that comes out of the microwave. Be sure to stir from the bottom, lifting and folding to blend everything well.

Step 4 – Chill and cut: Now pour the chocolate mixture into your lined pan. Using a rubber spatula or back of a spoon, smooth the top, leveling it off. Chill the pan in the refrigerator until firm—this will take approximately 3 hours. Remove and cut into small squares. To store, place fudge in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator, and, of course...

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle, author of 

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more of my recipes, enter to win

free coffee, or learn about my books, including
my bestselling Haunted Bookshop series, visit my online coffeehouse: CoffeehouseMystery.com

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are national bestselling

culinary mysteries set in a landmark Greenwich Village 

coffeehouse, and each of the ten 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.

Aphrodisiac Brownies and a Favorite Character Contest from Cleo Coyle!

I am thrilled to report that my new Coffeehouse Mystery, MURDER BY MOCHA, is off and running as an official bestseller. The book claimed the #9 spot on Barnes and Noble’s Top-10 hardcover mystery list and the #7 spot on the even bigger Nielsen BookScan list. 

The paperback edition of Roast Mortem even clocked in as a #8 BookScan mystery bestseller!

I didn't make this happen, readers did, and if you’re one of them, I have two words for you: 

Thank You!

Cleo Coyle, coffee geek,
is author of The Coffeehouse
Mysteries. To learn more,
visit Cleo's website by
clicking here.

Now for the food!

If you are considering making some of the chocolate treats (and other dishes) in the Recipe Section of Murder by Mocha, but aren't sure what the end results should look like, today's post should help. You can also click my PDF link here, print out a copy, and tuck it into your book's pages so you'll always have the reference!

To download a free PDF of the
Murder by Mocha recipe photos in the slideshow below, CLICK HERE. 

You can also watch the BIG SCREEN
version of this show, with my personal captions, by clicking here. 

Now for 
Today's Recipe!

Cleo Coyle's 

APHRODISIAC 

BROWNIES

The crimes in MURDER BY MOCHA (and there are plenty) are sparked by the launch of a new beverage product—a mocha drink called Mocha Magic Coffee, on which a powerhouse Website, "Aphrodite’s Village," plans to make a mint.

This chocolate coffee is laced with herbal aphrodisiacs. The formula is top secret, but it works—too well. The mocha drives half the Coffeehouse cast loco!

In keeping with the loco mocha theme, my brownies include three ingredients that have long been considered aphrodisiacs (all of them legal, I assure you)! 

Chocolate, of course, is Cupid’s classic consumable. Coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that is believed to be a perk in the area of romantic desires. Cinnamon is a fragrant spice that was prized by the Romans. (Cleopatra famously used it to arouse her many lovers.)

In these delicious brownies, the cinnamon works with the brown sugar to layer in a subtle yet intriguing flavor—perfect for a murder mystery. I hope you enjoy them, too. 

To download a free PDF of the recipe
for my Aphrodisiac Brownies, a featured recipe from Murder by Mocha,
click here.

And now...
Contest Fun!

"Guess who's coming
to dinner?" 
Your favorite Coffeehouse Mystery character!

For the past eight years, the Coffeehouse readers have written to me about the characters they love (and hate)! Now it's time to put those opinions in writing and possibly win some lovely prizes for your effort. What prizes?

CHOCOLATES! 
In Murder by Mocha, Clare Cosi travels to a candy and chocolate trade show to track down clues. While trolling the convention center aisles, she pauses at the booth of Valrhona (French gourmet chocolatiers) to indulge in a dark, little square of transcendent joy. Now that  joy can be yours, if you enter the contest.

The Prize: A “Grand Crus” Gift Box of 52 Fine Chocolate Tasting Squares (4 Flavors) Tanariva 33%, Taïnori 64%, Caraïbe 66%, and Guanaja 70%. The box includes the Tasting Wheel, a tool that helps lovers of fine chocolates eat with joy. :) To read more about this prize, click here.

Murder by Mocha
signed copies! 

To learn more or buy
the book, click here
or here or here!

Gimme Coffee 
Cappuccino Cups, 
(Made in Italy) To see, click here.


HOW TO ENTER: Simply leave a comment on this blog** (any sort of comment) AND send an e-mail to CleoContest@gmail.com with an answer to this question: 

If you could go to dinner with one of my Coffeehouse Mystery characters (other than Clare Cosi) who would it be and why? Remember, it cannot be Clare!

Would you choose Matt, Madame, Mike, Joy, Bree, Franco? One of the baristas? You can make your answer as long or as brief as you like. No right or wrong answer, just your opinion! 

One entry per person. Two winners will be chosen by random number generator--a grand prize (chocolate, signed book, and cup) and a runner up (signed book and cup). Contest Ends: Monday, September 26, 12 Midnight.

**NOTE: If you have trouble leaving a comment on this blog, then leave one on my Coffeehouse Mystery message board by clicking here.

EXTRA WAY TO WIN: For big fans of my series, listen up! If you elaborate on your answer, AND I choose to share it on my Web site, facebook page or on this blog, then a special "thank you" prize is coming your way, too! An adorable gimme coffee espresso cup and a signed book plate! 

How many of these winners will there be? That's up to you! I may select three or a dozen, depending on how enthusiastic you are with your answers. Prizes will be awarded throughout August, September, and October!

Just tell me more about why you like the character. Maybe share how my character would take you to dinner. Where, for example, would you eat? What would you eat? I hope you have fun with this. I know I will!  

Read with joy!  
~ Cleo

To learn more about Cleo's bestselling
mysteries, visit her online coffeehouse at www.CoffeehouseMystery.com,
where you can also get more of her recipes
and sign up for her newsletter.

**NOTE: If you have trouble leaving a comment on this blog, you can leave one on
Cleo's Coffeehouse Mystery message board
by clicking here.