#COOKING WITH CLORIS--ROMANCE AUTHOR VICKEY WOLLAN BAKES UP AWARD-WINNING CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Vickey Wollan writes sweet and clean Christmas-themed contemporary romance. Her short stories appear in the annual fund-raising anthology series Romancing the Holidays for the First Coast Romance Writers. Learn more about Vickey and her books at her website. 

Do you have a fond memory of your holiday traditions as a child? I do. My mom would remind my sister and me that our maternal grandmother handed down this recipe and manual cookie press. It’s a metal cylinder with caps on each end and an inner snug fitting disk that pushes out the dough when one presses the handle. It seems simple and ordinary. But, when you add your decorating flair and cookie baking love, this recipe can win contests.

 

In December of 2019, as pictured, this platter of cookies won the First Coast Romance Writer’s annual holiday cookie competition. All the party attendees voted. The moistness of the cookie’s texture and level-up decorations were the prime reasons for the crowning glory.

Olga Vogel, the protagonist in A Snowflake Christmas – The Nutcracker is known for baking gingerbread men sold in the gift shop at the tree farm, Christmas Trees of Snowflake, which she recently inherited. A native of Snowflake, a fictitious, snowy, rural Montana mountain town, Olga participates in or hosts the Twelve Days of Christmas celebrations. She’s focused on her business, but two attractive men keep trying to romance her.

 

The spark of an idea came to me while driving from Grand Teton National Park traveling to Yellowstone National Park in May of 2018. The small rural towns along the way had fewer than three-hundred residents each according to signs that boasted their populations. Then I drove past their downtown. Blink, and you’d miss it. That fueled the idea for the setting for the A Snowflake Christmas series. The plot points became clearer while hiking into the snowy elevations of the mountains.

 

Snowflake Currency is an ongoing theme in the series. Bartering favors and kindness to help your neighbors through the rough winters is a theme. Seeing how the residents of this area treated tourists and each other galvanized how my characters would act toward one another.

 

Each novel in the series has a mystical element to keep the joy-of-the-season shining all year round. The legend of the nutcracker says a nutcracker given as a present will protect the home of the recipient. Olga thinks one of her nutcrackers is faulty. She gifts it at no charge to a young boy, Quinn, who cherishes it beyond words. The toy seemingly answers Quinn's questions. When the arm springs forward on its own, that means yes.

 

Butter Cookie Recipe

1 egg

2 sticks butter (1 cup creamed)

3/4 cup white granular sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla OR other flavored extracts like peppermint, almond or walnut.

1 & 1/2 teaspoons food coloring (or more as preferred)

2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 

Bake 5-6 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Decorate immediately after taking cookies out of the oven. Snow effect via powdered sugar can be added anytime, or not at all.

 

Using a mixer, blend ingredients in a bowl in the order that they are listed above. Add flour in small amounts, not all at once. If you add more extract or food coloring add more flour to make the dough a stiffer consistency. Use a manual or electric cookie press to make the shapes.

 

Pictured are almond-cinnamon poinsettias with a dusting of snow where almond extract made the poinsettias come to life and peppermint-chocolate trees with snow covered branches decorated with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to create bountiful trees.   Enjoy!

 

A Snowflake Christmas: The Nutcracker

Olga Vogel, a native of small-town Snowflake, Montana, knows the value of hard work and focused determination. When she finds herself the sole inheritor of the Snowflake Christmas Tree Farm, she decides her personal life must wait while she concentrates on successfully running the business. Olga turns to her father for support and is astounded when he questions her management suitability.

 

Olga’s decision to step away from romance gets complicated when Eric Lund, a sexy single father seems determined to capture her attention. Then Grant Miller, who broke up with her to become a college football star, returns to Snowflake acting as if he wants to rekindle their relationship. Drawn to each man individually, Grant’s charisma and Erik’s giving nature, Olga struggles with decisions about her future. 

Can she run a prosperous company, and find her one true love?

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--MYSTERY AUTHOR J.E. BARNARD HOLDS A CHRISTMAS COOKIE BOOK LAUNCH

After decades of writing for anthologies and magazines, award-winning author J.E. (Jayne) Barnard saw her first novel published at age fifty-five and has now published six novels. Her writing year is split between Calgary with her cat and Vancouver Island with a resident owl. Both creatures ignore her office hours. Learn more about Jayne and her books at her website.  

The Sweetest Launch Party for my Saddest Novel

Getting a book published is a huge deal in every new author’s life, and a launch party provides a focus for that excitement. Friends show up, you read an excerpt and answer some questions, sign books and accept congratulations. 

 

I launched four books in a row like that at my great indie bookstore, Owls Nest Books in Calgary, Canada. We had decorations, snacks, and music to match some element of each book. We sold enough books each time to get onto the local bestseller list. But I was looking to change it up. To surprise the guests while still keeping to the new book’s theme.

 

Where the Ice Falls takes place from early December through to Orthodox Christmas Eve on January 6^th. In it, Lacey and Dee and their two Irish setters, are spending a last Christmas with Dee’s dying mother. Together they decorate Christmas cookies amid their grieving and their murder investigation. Those cookies spread out to friends and soften up suspects.

 

So, for the launch, I made (gluten-free) Christmas cookies. I didn’t decorate them all, though. Instead, guests gathered around festive holiday tables in the bookstore with tubs of sprinkles and tubes of icing. Everyone decorated cookies while I read that scene to them, then we all talked about favourite Christmases and best friendships.

 

It was my sweetest launch not only for those sugar cookies, but for the fun shared around those tables filled with icing and sprinkles.

 

Gluten-free Sugar Cookies for decorating

 

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla or peppermint extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon or ginger

2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (reserving 2 Tbsp for rolling out with)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your flour blend doesn’t have it)

 

Cream together butter and sugar, add egg, water/milk, and your chosen extract and blend well.

 

Mix together dry ingredients and add gradually to wet, blending thoroughly. Dough should be slightly sticky.

 

Wrap dough with wax paper and chill in fridge at least 1 hour. Keeps well in fridge for a week.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Let dough sit on counter 15 minutes ahead. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and assemble your cookie cutters. 

 

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick and cut out 18-24 cookies. As this dough is a bit more fragile than gluten dough, lift cookies carefully to the lined pans so they don’t break apart.

 

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on pan for at least 5 minutes (10 is better) before moving to a cooling rack.

 

When completely cool, decorate as you choose. Store in an airtight container for up to a week (although they may become a bit crumbly in a humid climate.)

 

Where the Ice Falls 

The Falls Mysteries, Book 2

Found by a psychic who wasn’t looking for him, the dead intern disrupts a ski chalet’s sale and everybody’s Christmas plans. Can ex-Mountie Lacey cope with a murder investigation and the reluctant psychic on top of her best friend’s absence, her roommate’s visiting mother, and her car getting stolen?

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR AND COOKIE BAKER KELLE Z. RILEY

Cozy mystery and romance author Kelle Z. Riley is also a global traveler, Ph.D. chemist and safety/martial arts expert. Today she adds baker to her list of accomplishments, sharing a holiday cookie recipe with us. Learn more about Kelle and her books at her website.

The Sweetest Season of All

Ah the end of the year! Even in the south where I now live, we’ve seen snow—and December snow always feels as festive as frosting on a cake.

What is your idea of a “perfect” holiday? What are your traditions? Do your traditions ever change? Mine sure do! I celebrate Christmas, and as a teen, the traditions included a small gathering of friends after Christmas Eve church services and later that night, opening a single gift from our overflowing stockings.

When I left home for my first job, traditions changed. Mostly they involved figuring out how to schedule vacation and travel so I could be home for the holidays.

When I married, traditions changed again. My husband “Baker” Tom had a Christmas Eve tradition of a clam chowder supper, which we incorporated into our celebrations.

Over the years Baker Tom and I developed another tradition: Holiday Cookie Baking!

Usually we make festive variations of standard recipes (my favorite is traditional shortbread). We’ve also made chocolates, lollipops (which turned into “stained glass” candy—trust me it is much easier), and even mini pies and cupcakes.

This year we created:

Peppermint Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1-1/4 C all-purpose flour

3 T granulated sugar

1/2 C softened butter

1/2 - 1 tsp peppermint extract

1-2 tsp. crushed peppermint candies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Blend all ingredients together until a soft, crumbly dough forms. (Tip: use clean hands rather than a spoon.) Shape the mixture into a ball and turn onto a sugar dusted surface. Knead until smooth.

Roll the dough out to 1/2” thickness.

Using a cookie cutter, cut into shapes. (Tip: dip the cutter into sugar to keep it from sticking. For added sweetness and shine, dust the bottoms and tops of the cookies in a bit more sugar.) Place the cookies on a parchment covered cookie sheet. The cookies don’t spread, so you can place them close together.

Bake at 325° F for 10 minutes. The cookies will be pale—not brown. (Tip: thinner cookies bake faster; not all ovens are the same so pull them out the minute the edges start to turn golden.)

Remove from oven and cool.

Decorating tips: Add decorative sugar before baking. Peppermint candy dust will melt and “glaze” the cookie. For intricate designs, make a template from heavy, transparent paper. Draw the outline of the cookie cutter on the sheet. Cut out areas using a sharp knife. Place the template over the cookie and sprinkle sugar over the paper. It will fall through the cut-outs in the desired designs. Or just try it freehand and have fun.

Now for the best part. Share the cookies with family, friends and even strangers who you’d like to get to know better. People may celebrate different holidays at the end of the year, but most of them will be delighted to share cookies!

If you’d like more recipes, you can check out my “Undercover Cat” mystery series where my cupcake-baking scientist mixes up edible fun while unraveling a mystery. (“Baker” Tom helps with all of the recipes and taste testing!) 

Happy Reading!

Happy Baking!

And Happy Holidays!

Shaken, Not Purred

Be careful what you wish for . . .

Bree Watson traded her lab coat for a trench coat, expecting the life of a spy to be fun. But when a body turns up on her undercover mission, she’s forced to handle:

~A murdered woman with more enemies than meets the eye

~A hunky handler posing as her fake boyfriend

~A sexy detective bent on wooing her—and wooing her away from espionage

~A drop-out drug dog with a nose for trouble

~Her cranky cat, curious coworkers, a cupcake challenge she can’t resist, and too many secrets, lies and cover identities to keep straight…

In the whirlwind of investigations and undercover operations, Bree develops a serious identity crisis. Who is she, really?

A spy pretending to be a chemist? Or a chemist playing at being a spy?

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--HOLIDAY FAVORITES WITH GUEST AUTHOR BARBARA WHITE DAILLE

(Recipe and photo sources:  pillsbury.com)

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too! Learn more about Barbara and her books at her website. 

Hi! I’m happy to be visiting again and am twice as happy that I’m sharing another multiple Favorites post.

First—and no surprise, I’m sure—my favorite hasn’t changed from the last time I dropped in. Yes, I’m still all about the chocolate. :) 

And as the holiday season will soon be upon us, I’m now all about the fave chocolate cookie:  Peanut Blossoms, the cookies topped with a Hershey’s Kiss. Although really, holiday or not, it doesn’t matter. I can eat these little bites of perfection any day of the year. I will admit, though, they do make my holidays a little more festive.

In case you’d like to try the cookies yourselves, here’s a link to the easy-peasy recipe.

Second on my list today is my favorite holiday. Christmas is my number-one, for so many reasons. The family get-togethers, the food, the fun. The movies. The music. And most of all, the spirit of the season.

Now, I know in “real life” our troubles don’t all just magically disappear because we’re celebrating the holiday. But at Christmastime, I think we make a special effort. We focus on the good rather than the bad, the positive rather than the negative.

Maybe it’s just that we’re bombarded by holiday images everywhere we turn, and we choose to think about those uplifting images instead of dwelling on the often darker and depressing news. In any case, I think the combination of our focus and attitude during the holiday season does make our hearts seem lighter and life seem brighter.

It’s probably because I love the holidays so much that I came up with a story idea about a town that celebrates Christmas three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Snowflake Valley is a wonderful place to spend my writing time, especially as I’m doing my best to help my heroines—known as the three “bad-luck Barnett” sisters—find their true loves.

I must say I’ve had the most fun ever writing my new release, a Cinderella vs. Scrooge story about one of these sisters, a single mom who’s madly crushing on her boss!

One Week to Win Her Boss

a Snowflake Valley novel

Single mom Amber Barnett loves family, kids, Christmas…and unfortunately, her boss, confirmed bachelor Michael DeFranco. It's a crush she really needs to get over. Except, when she’s temporarily forced from her apartment, her only option is to stay at Michael’s private ski lodge, where she's the housekeeper. No problem. Her handsome boss rarely visits Snowflake Valley unexpectedly, plus he’s spending the holidays with his family. Or so she thinks…

A stormy Christmas Eve reunion leaves Michael seeking the solitude of his lodge, where he finds Amber in residence—and in trouble. Attempting to save her from her matchmaking family, he announces they’re a couple. His good deed backfires when they’re instantly included in each and every holiday event in town. So much for solitude. 

Only the more time he spends with the beautiful, cheery brunette, the more he yearns to make things real between them. But he and Amber want different things, and Michael could never be the family man she's looking for. 

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Note: For a limited time only Snowbound With Mr. Wrong, the first book in the Snowflake Valley series, is available for only .99 cents. 

COOKING WITH CLORIS - HOLIDAY CRANBERRY-ALMOND-WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Holiday Cranberry-Almond-White Chocolate Cookies

Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add gradually to butter/sugar mixture. Fold in cherries, almonds, and chips. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto parchment covered cookie sheets. Bake in 350 degree oven 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheets.