CoKoCon 2022 Schedule
I’m attending my first in-person convention in about three years this Labor Day weekend. CoKoCon is a small con in the Phoenix area. This year, it’s at a new location at the DoubleTree in Tempe. I’ll be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday morning. Feel free to talk, ask to have books signed (which I’ll gladly do unless I’m on the run to a panel!), and generally hang out. I’ll be in a black mask, channeling my old favorite Mortal Kombat ninjas.
Panels are always subject to change; I’ll post any updates via Twitter and Facebook.
Friday, September 2
4:30pm Writing on the Spectrum
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Neurodiverse writers talk about how their unique filter on the world impacts their writing and about neurodiverse representation in books.
Saturday, September 3
10am Beth & Mike’s Book Club: The City We Became
Coronado, 10am – 11am
Michael Senft, who runs the Sci-Fridays Book Club at the Poisoned Pen, and Nebula Award®-nominated author, Beth Cato, will be leading a discussion on The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. Read or listen to it ahead of the event or come in blind, but beware of spoilers!
6pm Writing Speculative Poetry
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
Join our award-winning poets as they discuss the craft and market for speculative poetry, and maybe even share some of their own award-winning work!
Sunday, September 4
1pm Literary Charcuterie
Coronado, 1pm – 2pm
Let’s talk about the glories of food in literature and reality and inspire everyone to scamper for the nearest cheese shop (and there are several near the hotel!)
6pm Author Self-Care: Not Post-COVID Yet
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
We’re back in person, but are we really back to normal? This popular panel returns in a world that still hasn’t gotten through the COVID times.
7:30pm Historical Fiction Meets Fantasy
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
What is the proper proportion of facts with fiction when writing historical fantasy? What resources the perils and joys of research.
#SFWAPro
Read MoreBready or Not Original: Almond Graham Cookies
I’m a chewy cookie person. These Almond Graham Cookies fit that description nicely, being chewy, crisp, and perfectly sweet.
Graham cracker crumbs are integral to the cookies. You can buy a box and mash them yourself using a food processor or the old Ziplock bag-and-rolling-pin method or buy a container of the prepared crumbs. This recipe can be a good way to use up graham crackers you have idling in your cupboard (which is totally how I came about this recipe).
This is a fast cookie to mix up, too. For me, the longest step was sifting the almond flour, which I must do because it tends to clump badly. However, that’s also a step that can be done the day before.
Be ready to enjoy a lot of cookies. I used my teaspoon scoop for even measurements and got 52 cookies.
Bready or Not Original: Almond Graham Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- teaspoon scoop
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup almond flour sifted
- 1 Tablespoon sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and almond flour until just combined.
- Use a teaspoon scoop or teaspoon to dole out dough onto the baking sheet, spaced to allow some spreading. Place a few almond slices atop each cookie.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until top is crackled. Let cookies set on baking sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate-Frangipane Bundt Cake
This Chocolate-Frangipane Bundt Cake is a show-stopper: a rich chocolate cake with a hidden frangipane layer inside, crowned with drippy icing and almonds.
This cake would be perfect for the holiday season–or any time of year you want to go all-out on a delicious cake.
There are a lot of directions and ingredients, but the cake is really quite straightforward to make. I tried to simplify some elements from the original in Bake from Scratch Magazine (who would notice browned butter in a cake that’s already rich in several ways?) and made the ingredient division friendlier, too.
I have a deep, abiding love for frangipane, and this recipe balances the sweet almond paste against a nice, dense chocolate cake. It’s a fine combo.
If you want to save some baking day effort, make the frangipane a day ahead and stash it in the fridge. I do that quite often with recipes like this.
Bready or Not: Chocolate-Frangipane Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 10-cup bundt pan or larger
Ingredients
Frangipane
- 1 cup almond flour sifted
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) melted and cooled
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Bundt Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) plus more for pan
- 2 cups whole buttermilk or soured milk*
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder sifted, plus more to dust pan
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 Tablespoon half & half or heavy cream
- sliced almonds
Instructions
- First of all, make the frangipane. In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until a smooth paste forms. This can be made a day or hours ahead of the cake assembly; if it is made ahead, press plastic wrap to directly cover the frangipane and refrigerate until it is used.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Generously grease interior surface of a 10-cup bundt pan with butter, then sift extra cocoa powder to coat it as much as possible. Rotate pan to distribute cocoa powder, tapping out excess if necessary.
- Melt butter in microwave or on stovetop and let it cool a few minutes. Pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Add the buttermilk, eggs, espresso powder, almond extract, and vanilla, beating until smooth.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Switch from the whisk to the paddle attachment. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just smooth.
- Pour half the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Dollop the frangipane over the batter and smooth out, if possible. Top with remaining cake batter and smooth it again.
- Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, about 55 to 60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let pan cool for about 20 minutes and then carefully invert it onto a rack to completely cool. Bits might stick to the pan; if so, pry them out and try to patch the cake. Remember that frosting will help mask any damage.
- Once the cake is room temperature, make the frosting. Beat the confectioners' sugar, almond extract, and half & half together to together to form a thick consistency, then drizzle over the cake. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.
- Cake will be moister on the first day but keeps fairly well for a few days. Slices can also be individually wrapped and frozen for later.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Bready or Not: Kerrygold Almond Breakfast Cake
This Kerrygold Almond Breakfast Cake is moist, light, and delicious thanks to Irish butter, ricotta cheese, and a vivid spark of lemon.
I found the original version of this recipe on the Kerrygold website and modified it quite a bit to make it work for a square 9-inch pan. I also added a glaze because, well, I thought it needed one–and it does. Not only does it boost the sweetness, but it helps that layer of sliced almonds adhere more.
Using ricotta cheese in a cake like this doesn’t make it taste cheesy. The ricotta adds moisture, creating a soft, tender crumb, and it plays beautifully with the potent Kerrygold butter.
Now, about that Kerrygold. For baking purposes, I like to buy it at Costco when it goes on sale a few times a year. Stash it in the freezer and it keeps for a long, long time. It’s sure more cost-effective than buying it at the grocery store.
This cake is lemony-bright in flavor with a crisp-top crust thanks to the almonds. It keeps at room temperature for a few days or can be frozen for later.
Bready or Not: Kerrygold Almond Breakfast Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch square pan
- aluminum foil
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 Tablespoons Kerrygold unsalted butter (1 stick) 1/2 cup, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
Glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line 9-inch pan with foil extended up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs and almond extract.
- To the mixing bowl, alternatively add the flour mixture and the ricotta. Batter will be thick.
- Pour it into the prepared pan. Level off with an uneven spatula. Sprinkle sliced almonds to cover the top.
- Bake for 33 to 38 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test.
- Cool in pan for at least 45 minutes, then use foil to lift it onto a rack to completely cool at room temperature.
- Make glaze and drizzle across the top. Let set for 30 minutes before cutting. Cake will keep at least two days at room temperature, or pieces can be individually wrapped and frozen for later.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Cookie Butter Shortbread
The Cookie Butter Shortbread is a new riff on my classic Shortbread recipe that I’ve also made with espresso powder and chocolate chips–and also with an infusion of lemon and a glaze. It’s a versatile base recipe.
Now, I bet some of you are asking–what is cookie butter? It’s essentially pureed spice cookies with oil, forming a spreadable consistency just like peanut butter. You can find it in stores by the nut butter; Trader Joe’s carries it under the name Speculoos. What cookie butter does is make cookies taste more… cookie. You’ll know what I mean when you try it.
This is not a crisp shortbread like the traditional Walker’s brand (which is delicious in its own right). No, this shortbread is cakey and soft, only crisp at the very edge.
Sometimes the first piece out of the pan can even be fussy and break in half; a metal pie spatula helps, but sometimes it can still happen. That’s no major problem, though, because of every bite of Shortbread is good, even if it’s not perfectly photogenic.
Enjoy this Cookie Butter Shortbread for breakfast or snacks, or in proper fashion at tea time.
Bready or Not Original: Cookie Butter Shortbread
Equipment
- 2 pie plates
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup creamy cookie butter
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Apply nonstick spray to both pie plates.
- Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and cookie butter. Use hands to compress dough together. Add the chocolate chips and mix, bringing dough together again to form a ball. Divide in half, placing one in each pie plate. Flatten dough with palms to create an even surface. Prick surface all over with a fork then use a knife to slash dough into triangular wedges.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until edges are golden brown and middle is set. Remove from oven and cut again along slash marks. Let shortbread cool completely, then cut again along existing marks.
- Shortbread keeps for several days at room temperature. It can be stored covered in pie plates, or stacked in a sealed container with wax paper between the layers.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Buttermilk Bread Rolls in the Bread Machine
The blog is called Bready or Not, and today we’re decidedly bready with these Buttermilk Bread Rolls that are conveniently made in the bread machine!
I can make bread by hand or use my KitchenAid, but the bread machine is my favorite way to mix dough. I never use it for the full baking process.
This dough is soft and dreamy to work with. Buttermilk is great for baking because it not only adds dairy to enrich the dough, but acid that causes a chemical reaction resulting in a tender crumb and great flavor.
If you don’t keep buttermilk around, no problem: look at the Note at the bottom of the recipe for advice on how to create soured milk as a substitute. I should also add that powdered buttermilk, which is reconstituted with water, also works well in recipes, though I haven’t tried it with this one in particular.
These sandwich-sized rolls are great to eat fresh, and like so many breads, is also fantastic to freeze. Throw them in a gallon freezer bag and then thaw a roll as needed in the coming weeks.
Bready or Not Original: Buttermilk Bread Rolls in the Bread Machine
Equipment
- bread machine
- food scale
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk lukewarm (100-110-degrees); can substitute soured milk, see NOTE
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 3/4 cups bread flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the bucket of a bread machine. Start on DOUGH cycle. Set out a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- When the cycle is done, weigh the dough on a food scale. Divide it by six to create large sandwich rolls. Split up the dough, using hands form nicely rounded balls, with any rough bits tucked underneath. Place spaced out on baking sheet. When all of the rolls are formed, cover with plastic wrap or a towel to rise in a warm place until puffed, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Uncover the rolls and bake them for about 25 minutes. They should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. A digital thermometer discreetly plunged into the center should read about 190-degrees.
- Cool rolls for at least 20 minutes before slicing open. Store in a sealed bag for up to 3 days. Rolls can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Follow me
