Monday, April 29, 2013

Characters Who Bake

Susan Sleeman here. I’ve been on a diet for what seems like a bazillion years. It’s only been 4 months but I miss sweets so much I often find myself either drooling over the ones posted on Facebook, or writing a scene in my book that includes baking.

Odd, right? You’d think I’d want to avoid any thoughts of the sweet concoctions, but I guess they are living in my subconscious.

So today, I thought I’d share the amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe that my main character in No Way Out makes. She’s a single mother of seven-year-old twins, which means she’s made her share of cookies. So here it is. I found the recipe on Yahoo Shine and it’s adapted from Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America’s recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) European-style unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chunks

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between additions and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and mix. On low speed or by hand, stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, mixing until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Using a cookie scoop, ice cream scoop, or two spoons, form dough balls and place on prepared cookie sheets with a few inches of room in between. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 F with rack in the center. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Bake for 10-13 minutes (depending on the size of your dough balls), until they are golden brown around the edges and puffy in the center. Let cookies cool a few minutes on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

So what about you? Do you have a go to cookie recipe that you love to make? If so what kind of cookie is it?


NO WAY OUT - Book three in The Justice Agency

WHO CAN SHE TRUST?
Alyssa Wells has uncovered evidence that her police officer husband was murdered by his partner-a dangerous claim in a small town. After two tours in Iraq, protecting Alyssa and her children shouldn’t be a problem for private investigator Cole Justice. Alyssa feels drawn to him, but how can she trust anyone after everything she’s been through? Cole’s sure his heart is closed off to love, but Alyssa and her children seem to have found a way in. As the killer draws closer, Alyssa realizes she’s trusting Cole with more than her safety.




Susan SleemanSUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list and her Garden Gate Mystery series, which features Nipped in the Bud, and Read Between the Tines has enjoyed time on Amazon bestseller lists as well. And The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. To connect with Susan outside of her – Website visit any of these social media sites-

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