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Sunday Quote plans for a birthday this week

Posted by Beth on Sep 17, 2017 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote plans for a birthday this week

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”
~ Groucho Marx

Bready or Not: Chewy Almond Cookies

Posted by Beth on Sep 13, 2017 in Blog, Bready or Not, cookies | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Chewy Almond Cookies

These Chewy Almond Cookies are an old favorite of mine, recently rediscovered.

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook I was given as a wedding gift back in 2000. I used to make them all the time.

I totally forgot about the recipe until I stumbled across it again, this time in a Taste of Home best cookies collection.

Guess what? The cookies are still fantastic! I did modify the recipe, as one does. The original version made a very small batch. Therefore, I doubled it, and also increased the amount of vanilla and cinnamon.

If you love almonds, well, you’ll be in heaven. It doesn’t take much almond extract to add a wallop of flavor, and the slices on top add a lovely crunch to complement the soft, chewy cookies.

This is a great dough to make ahead of time. Keep the wrapped dough in the fridge for days, or frozen for months. You could make these now and pull them out at the holidays.

Plus, the frozen dough sticks are a great weapon if anyone breaks into your house.

Adapted from a classic Taste of Home recipe.

Print Recipe

Bready or Not: Chewy Almond Cookies

These classic refrigerator cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with almond flavor! Make the dough a day in advance of baking--or months ahead, and tuck the dough in the freezer.

Course: Dessert, Snack

Keyword: cookies

Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
2 cups brown sugar packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 - 1 cup almonds sliced

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and both extracts.
In a another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gradually stir this into the wet mixture.
Using plastic wrap, shape the dough into 2 or 3 long tubes of dough. Wrap them up well and refrigerate overnight, or freeze for months.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Cut dough into slices 1/4 thick; if they crumble a little, reshape with your fingers. Place spaced out on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Add several almond slices on each cookie.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Let them set on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
OM NOM NOM!

Sunday Quote features Almond Cookies this Wednesday

Posted by Beth on Sep 10, 2017 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote features Almond Cookies this Wednesday

“Don’t blow off another’s candle for it won’t make yours shine brighter.”
~ Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper

Bready or Not: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by Beth on Sep 6, 2017 in Blog, Bready or Not, chocolate, cookies | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you like some saltiness with your sweet, oh, do I have the cookies for you: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies.

As you might imagine, my husband’s co-workers get to taste a wide variety of cookies from me. But these, several declared, ‘were the best cookies they’d ever placed in their mouths.’

I consider that pretty high praise.

What makes these cookies different is the combination of flavors and textures. The pretzels add a lot here–bits of crunchiness and saltiness that is lovely cuddled with chocolate and caramel.

You can use whatever candy bars you want in this. I used Hundred Grands, but you can go for anything with chocolate and caramel, like Twix. Or you can use more chocolate chips and caramel bits.

You could play with the chocolate, too, and use whatever kind you want: milk, semi, dark. Or use a combo.

Whatever combination you choose, I hope you’ll consider these among the best cookies you’ve put in your mouth, too.

Modified from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Print Recipe

Bready or Not: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

These mind-blowing cookies combine salty, sweet, and crunchy in an extraordinary way. Choose whatever caramel-chocolate candy bars you want here, or add in chocolate or caramel bits; use whatever types of chocolate chips you want, too. Any combo will be fantastic.

Course: Dessert, Snack

Keyword: chocolate, cookies

Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

1 cup pretzels chopped
1 cup caramel-chocolate candy bars chopped, about 6 ounces
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter 2 cubes, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
2 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
extra sea salt or pretzel salt to sprinkle on top

Instructions

Prepare your add-ins. Use a food processor (or chop by hand) the pretzels and candy bars. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet by greasing well or lining with parchment. (Remember, melted caramel can get sticky.)
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the dry ingredients. By hand, stir in the chocolate chips, pretzels, and candy bars.
Use a tablespoon to dole out dough balls onto cookie sheet, taking care to space them out; try to tuck visible caramel inside the dough to prevent too much oozing. Sprinkle some salt on top of the cookies.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies set on sheet for about 10 minutes before moving to a rack to finish cooling.
Store cookies in a sealed container between layers of waxed paper or parchment. Keeps well for up to 5 days.
OM NOM NOM!

New Publications & Podcasts to Start September

Posted by Beth on Sep 4, 2017 in anthology:story, Blog, breath of earth, call of fire, online publication, public speaking, red dust collection, writerly advice | Comments Off on New Publications & Podcasts to Start September

It’s Labor Day already? How did that happen? I fell behind on website updates, as in often the case with book release time, but my Bibliography and the Blood of Earth Trilogy media page are now current. Below are some highlights from August… and two chances to enter to win my books over on Goodreads, including a galley of my collection, out in two months!