Today was a day to bake cookies. It's been a while since I've baked treats with my daughter, so we decided to bake chocolate chip cookies. To spruce them up, I decided to combine Nestle Original Dark chocolate chips with Heath toffee pieces. They are delicious!!!
Dark Chocolate & Toffee Chip Cookies:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
approx 1 cup dark chocolate chips
approx 1 cup toffee pieces
(I'm not exact with my chocolate chips---I sprinkle in a portion of the bag until the cookies look nice and packed with delicious bits of chocolate! )
Preheat oven to 375
Combine ingredients. I always melt my butter in the microwave before combining--makes it easier for my little one to help with stirring. Drop by large tablespoon-fulls or use a cookie scoop like I do, it makes it so easy and the cookies come out nice and round most of the time.
Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment for 11 minutes. My oven has a hot spot, so I would put the cookie sheet in for 5 1/2 minutes and then flip the sheet for another 5 1/2 (it's not necessary unless your oven is crazy like mine!)
Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. They will look mushy while hot, but trust me, after they cool for five minutes on cookie sheet and 10 on a wire cooling rack, they will be absolute perfection.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed on Amazon.com! I now have 75 reviews and am happy to share a teaser from Evan's book:
“Evan, can you help me?” Kate asks. She’s standing on her tip-toes, her t-shirt rising up her back, exposing her midsection. I do my best not to stare as I walk towards her. She glances back at me over her shoulder before continuing her request, “Vince put the spare key to his office on the highest shelf of the bar and I can’t reach it.” Her hair smells like strawberries.
“No problem,” I say, easily reaching the key. Just for fun, I dangle it above Kate’s head. She smirks at me, narrowing her eyes as if to say, ‘okay, let’s play.’
Grinning from ear to ear, I ask, “Oh, I’m sorry, can you still not reach them?” Whenever I’m near this woman, all I want to do is tease her, tease her so badly she can hardly contain herself. But, the result is that I can hardly contain myself. Tiny beads of sweat are building along my hairline as I twist the keychain back and forth between my fingers. Kate swats at the key and gives me a fake dirty look. I know her well enough to know she’s not upset at all.
“Ev, c’mon,” Yeah, that’s another thing. She started calling me Ev. It drives me friggin wild. I can’t take it! Every time she says it, I want to throw her up against the bar and kiss her hard, really hard. I want to possess her, to make her mine, and yet when the fantasy is over I realize I can’t have her. Not yet.
“Alright,” I hand her the keychain and give her a crafty wink. She gives a satisfied smile. “What do you need it for anyway?” I ask.
“I don’t,” she raises an eyebrow at me before walking away to take orders from a large table of college students. My jaw hits the floor as she saunters away, looking back in her signature tease of a grin. This girl is going to be the end of me.
As many of you know, I am busy working on Book 2 of the "Love of my Life" series. This book is Evan's story and I am having a lot of fun writing it....I love getting inside Evan's head as well as the head of Kate, the girl who broke his heart.
I have a few teasers that I would love to share, but here's the deal: I will share them when I reach 75 reviews on Amazon for Bouquet Toss. I have received so many fantastic emails, posts on my Facebook Author page and even here on the blog, telling me how much they loved the book. These messages mean the WORLD to me! In order for more people to know about Bouquet Toss, it takes recommendations and reviews on Amazon are a great way to spread the word!
As always, thank you for reading and I can't wait to share a tiny glimpse of the charming Evan and his book :)
This is my Evan. His real name is Ryan Guzman, but to me he'll always be Evan Maxwell!
This week, I signed up to attend the R.T. Booklovers Convention in Kansas City Missouri, May 1-5. There will be workshops for readers and writers, as well as several events: book signings, e-book EXPOs and social events. I can't wait!!!!
Here is a link to learn more information on the Convention!
I am honored to participate in the Girly Book Blog Hop!!! The focus of this blog hop is Sensational Secondary Characters. So, without further ado, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Evan Maxwell from my novel, Bouquet Toss!
When Daphne visits a psychic to find out if Mayson (her first love who has reappeared in her life) is the one, the psychic does not tell her what she wants to hear...but, she does tell Daphne that an immense amount of happiness awaits her with a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes. When Daphne is re-introduced to the charming Evan, she instantly wonders if he is the man who Kim the psychic was referring to.....Could Evan be the one for Daphne?
Evan is charming and sarcastic, funny and soulful. He loves music and live shows and loves to tease his friends. He's sexy, but conflicted, as he's had his heart broken in the past. He's someone you want in your corner. If you're going through a hard time, he'll have your back. When reading reviews for Bouquet Toss, I was struck by how many women fell in love with the character of Evan. His own story is currently in the works and should be released in the spring!
Synopsis of Bouquet Toss: Ever since Daphne Harper graduated from college, all of her friends have
fallen in love, become engaged and walked down the aisle. Be it a
blessing or a curse, Daphne (a hopeless romantic and perpetual single
girl) catches the bouquet at every single wedding she attends.
Daphne’s
love life is a mess. Her first love, Mayson, haunts her heart and keeps
her from pursuing happiness with any man who comes along. As she
struggles to move on from the one who got away, Daphne wonders if she
will ever break her curse and find her happily ever after.
In order to celebrate the Blog Hop, I'd like to give away one $10 e-gift card to Amazon.com. Fall is my favorite season for reading. You can curl up under a blanket, drink some hot cocoa and read a new book or two! I'm also giving away two signed paperbacks of Bouquet Toss (US residents only).
Tell me who you envision
for the roles of the characters of Bouquet Toss!!!! I'm a junkie for
casting characters in books with Hollywood actors/actresses.
For the next week, tell me who you envision for the roles of: 1-Daphne 2-Mayson 3-Morgan 4-Tanner
Next Thursday, Sept. 27th, I will choose a winner and a runner-up. The WINNER will receive a $10 gift card to Amazon and a signed copy of Bouquet Toss. The runner up will also receive a signed copy of Bouquet Toss.
The ONLY RULES are that you can't cast the same actors/actresses that I
have selected...other than that, have fun, be creative and find some
great actors! You can post them here in a comment, tag me in photos on my FB page, whatever you
like----but, you must cast ALL 4 characters to win!!!
Bouquet Toss was released early on Wednesday!! Such an exciting day----overwhelming in many ways. So, how did I decide to spend that day? Baking, of course!
Someone very, very special to me is just 3 weeks away from welcoming a baby boy into her family. So, I felt it was necessary to send her some cake truffles. But, instead of cake, I wanted to try making brownie truffles with oreo bits mixed in. Delicious.
My peanut decided to help me. She's 3 1/2 and an incredible helper! Here is the recipe for Oreo Brownie Truffles!!
First, choose your favorite Brownie mix in a box. I love making things from scratch, but this is a very detailed recipe and if you made the brownies from scratch, it would take a very long time. So, I use boxed and bake according to the instructions. When you finish, let them cool. While they are cooling, you can either open up a can of frosting from the store, or you can make homemade frosting. Peanut and I prefer homemade, so we decided to make homemade frosting:
Mix all ingredients until well blended into a thick frosting.....YUM!
When brownies have cooled, you are going to break them up and place in a large bowl. Using two forks, crumble the brownies up. Next, grab several oreos (about one "sleeve" should do) and break them up into small pieces (you can put them in a ziploc and pound with a can) and add to the crumbled brownies.
Next, plop the frosting into the mixture and stir until everything is moistened. YOU WILL have leftover frosting if you make the homemade. You can freeze it if you like....or you can give your kids a few oreos and let them dip in the frosting so they won't be buggin' ya to eat the truffles! See? I'm always thinking! :)
Next, you're going to roll into small balls. I use a cookie dough scooper to get the right size (i like my truffles to be somewhat uniform in their appearance.) But, after I scoop them, I still ROLL them in my hands so that they will be smooth.
Final step: Melt white chocolate almond bark in microwave according to package instructions...and then let your brownie balls go for a nice swim. Use two spoons to dunk and flip the balls until they are coated. Then place each truffle on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sprinkles of your choice immediately after dunking so chocolate doesn't harden. Once it hardens, sprinkles will no longer stick.
Put in refrigerator to set the chocolate for about 15 minutes. Place each truffle into a mini-muffin paper and place in packaging of your choice. I like cookie tins :)
And there you have it!! Janna, Peanut and I hope that you and your family will love these brownie truffles. They were made with SO much love! We are so excited for you and can't wait to hear of Max's arrival!!! Love you!!!
Today is a big day for my friend, Janna and me. Today will be the very first time that we get to see Henry Cavill on the big screen. His movie "The Cold Light of Day" opens tonight!!! And, I just found out that Janna and I will both be seeing Henry on the big screen at almost the exact same time...so, even though we'll be in different states, we'll be watching our beloved Henry together!!!!!
In honor of Mr. Cavill (and Janna), I will be giving away a signed copy of Bouquet Toss through the blog. All you have to do is make a comment below telling me about any sweet treats that you enjoy baking, or that you would like to learn how to bake OR tell me about your celebrity crush...you all know who mine is!!! I will pick someone randomly from the comments and announce the winner on Monday!!!
I love to cast characters in the books I read....so it shouldn't be surprising that I've already selected the cast for "Bouquet Toss." Please, meet my choice for Daphne Harper. Her name is Allison Williams and she is currently starring in the HBO show "Girls." She is beautiful and funny and the perfect choice for Daphne!
Readers, let me introduce you to the incredibly handsome actor, Mr. Henry Cavill.
Why do I love Henry so much? Well, aside from his chiseled features, his stunning blue eyes and his magnetic smile, Henry seems to have a sweet personality. In his interviews, he is kind and he goes out of his way to sign autographs and take pictures with his fans. He is also an incredible actor. His protrayal of Sir Charles Brandon in the HBO Show, "The Tudors" was fantastic! I was immediately smitten after just one episode!
When I read a good book with a swoony main character, I automatically think of him. He is my Christian Grey and my Caleb Drake. And I'm sure he will be many more characters in my mind! I can't wait to see him as Superman and Clark Kent. He is magnificent!
Bouquet Toss has a small homage to Mr. Cavill, but I won't tell you what it is...you'll just have to read it and see :)
I am very excited to announce that my first self-published novel, "Bouquet Toss" will be available as an E-book on Amazon.com on September 12th!! Paperback will be available as soon as possible!
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