Beth Cato's Blog, page 49

2018 Work for Award Consideration

All the cool kids are doing it, so I suppose I should raise my hand from the shadows. It’s award nominations time!

I have only one work that I’m putting forth for consideration, in the short story category:

– “To This You Cling, With Jagged Fingernails” published in Fireside Magazine in July 2017.

The story has had some nice notice, including a review at the B&N SFF Blog that said, “Cato perfectly captures the bittersweet moment when you feel the magic of childhood slip away, a moment haunted by sadness, and by the loneliness you can feel in a crowd when you think no one else feels the same, or as deeply, as you.”

Quick Sip Reviews wrote a beautiful review, saying, “It’s a graceful read, though, careful and with a blush of defiance, a hope that maybe magic isn’t just for those too young to know better.”

The story is also included on the SFWA Nebula Reading List.

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Bready or Not: Fruitcake Cookies

After Christmas last year, I scored a whole stack of fruitcake fruit containers for 80% off on the grocery clearance aisle. I already had recipes in mind for the fruit, and this is one of them.

These Fruitcake Cookies are essentially good old fashioned chewy oatmeal cookies with new mix-ins. Really good mix-ins.

Really, these are pretty and rustic cookies to behold. The red and green cherries look like sparkling jewels. I was surprised at how well the dates worked, too; they were meatier and softer than the usual raisins.

Plus, there’s a comfort food vibe around these cookies. They look like a variation of oatmeal cookies, but the different fruit gives them a distinct holiday vibe.

Of course, if you’re like me and use fruit snagged on a post-Christmas sale, that might be a holiday vibe in January or February. But hey, good cookies shouldn’t be confined to any one season.

And these are definitely good cookies.

Modified from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Bars.

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Bready or Not: Fruitcake Cookies





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This recipe is a fantastic way to use fruitcake fruit mix up without the fuss and time investment of making fruitcake! These are like chewy oatmeal cookies with soft nuggets of fruit.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 1/2 cups (about 12 ounces) fruitcake fruit mix with chopped red and green cherries, pineapple, etc

Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla.

In a smaller bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and oats. Gradually mix into creamed ingredients. Stir in the coconut, dates, and other fruit.

Use a tablespoon scoop to place dollops of dough on parchment paper, giving them space to spread. Bake for about 15 minutes. Set on rack to cool. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.

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Bready or Not: Caramel Apple Cookies

These Caramel Apple Cookies involve some extra work, but they are worth it. These are among the best cookies I have ever made. That’s saying something.

They also might involve some blood-letting. Let’s just say I will never again try to grate apple. I’m fine with finely dicing with a knife from now on.

But hey, as history and mythology has taught us, sometimes blood-letting comes to good purpose. These are chewy, sweet, soft apple cookies topped with caramel. If that’s not worth sacrifice, what is?

Use some variety of sweet-tart apple like you’d use for a pie. I used Braeburn, but Granny Smith and Jonathan are also good choices. 1 cup grated/diced is most of a medium apple.

These cookies reminded me of a fresh-made and frosted version of the Little Debbie’s Apple Delights that I loved loved loved as a kid. I have never before had a homemade cookie that was like this.

You may have some frosting leftover at the end; I had about 1/3 cup. Just look for random things you can frost like Golden Oreos, the cat, graham crackers, human flesh, etc. Trust me, you don’t want this apple-caramel frosting to go to waste.

Modified from Fall Baking 2016 by Better Homes & Gardens.

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Bready or Not: Caramel Apple Cookies





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These stunning Caramel Apple Cookies involve a little extra work, but their deliciousness is well worth the effort. Use a tart or sweet-tart apple like Braeburn, Granny Smith, or Jonathan. Recipe makes about 36 cookies using a tablespoon scoop.

Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
sprinkle cloves and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup apple cider or juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup peeled, coarsely shredded or diced tart apple (most of a medium apple)
Frosting:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons apple cider or juice
2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth, then add brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and salt. Continue to beat until fluffy, scraping bowl as needed.

Beat in the egg and apple cider or juice. Slowly mix in flour. Fold in the apple bits last; dough will be very soft.

Use a tablespoon scoop to space out dollops of dough on the parchment paper. Bake about 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown; be careful not to under-bake, as the cookies need to be sturdy enough to be frosted. Completely cool cookies on wire rack.

When the cookies are cool, begin making frosting on stovetop. On medium heat in small saucepan, stir together brown sugar, butter, and apple cider or juice. Heat until the brown sugar is dissolved. Gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.

Begin frosting cookies immediately; the back of a spoon works well. If the frosting in the pan begins to harden, stir in a few drops of hot water until it is smooth again.

Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature with wax paper between the layers.

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Bready or Not Original: Macadamia Nut Caramel Chip Blondies

This original recipe combines salted caramel chips (my new favorite ingredient) with my beloved macadamia nuts to make something innovative and amazing.

These Macadamia Nut Caramel Chip Blondies are soft, chewy, and nigh divine. Plus, if you’re in a hurry, they are fast to make and bake.

That’s exactly what I needed when I created this recipe. I had another recipe result in total disaster (it happens to us all!) and I needed another platter of baked goods, fast, for my husband to take to work…

… where these bars were declared a new kind of crack. All of the bars were scarfed up. Not bad for an emergency oh-crap-what-can-I-throw-together recipe.

If you need to sub another kind of nut in this recipe, I think pecans and walnuts would work especially well. I do suggest sticking with the balance of 1 cup white chocolate and 1 cup salted caramel chips, though.

Caramel chips are very strong–like butterscotch chips in that way. They are a great ingredient, but you don’t want to go overkill. Plus, this way you’ll still have half a bag for another recipe. Scroll back on Bready or Not for some suggestions!

 

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Bready or Not Original: Macadamia Nut Caramel Chip Blondies





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These delicious, fast-to-make bars utilize salted caramel chips, a fantastic new innovation on the baking aisle. These bars are chewy and sweet with a welcome crunch from the macadamia nuts.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup salted caramel chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.

In a large bowl, stir together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla.

In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour, oats, salt, and baking powder. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir in the two kinds of chips and macadamia nuts until just distributed.

Smooth out the dough in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center passes the toothpick test. Cool completely before using the foil to life the contents from pan to slice on a cutting board.

Store in a sealed container with parchment or wax paper between the layers.

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Bready or Not Original: Glazed Earl Grey Maple Gingerbread Sheet Cake

Let’s kick off the 2018 holiday season the right way: with cake! A Glazed Earl Grey Maple Gingerbread Sheet Cake, to be exact.

Earl Grey adds a lovely spice and kick that contrasts and complements the sweetness of maple. As you can see, tea flecks freckle the entire cake.

The cake is super-soft, moist, and cakey. I was amazed at how high it rose. It pretty much went to the top of my casserole dish.

The cake itself isn’t heavily sweet, which is why the thin layer of glaze is just what it needs. It provides a more potent sweet maple flavor.

This is a cake that pairs well with tea (Earl Grey, hot, Picard-style?) and also with coffee. Serve this to a crowd! There’s plenty of cake to go around.

 

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Bready or Not Original: Glazed Earl Grey Maple Gingerbread Sheet Cake





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Earl Grey tea and maple form a superhero duo in this lovely sheet cake topped with a thin glaze with (you guessed it) more maple flavor. This cake bakes up high and soft, so make this to feed a crowd!

Cake:
2 eggs
2 cups pure maple syrup
2 cups sour cream (16 ounce container)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 cube) unsalted butter, melted
4 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 packets (heaping Tablespoon) Earl Grey tea
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon maple flavor
2+ Tablespoons milk (almond milk works)

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.

In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, maple syrup, sour cream, vanilla, and butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, Earl Grey tea, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir in the egg mixture. Spread batter in the ready pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cake will have risen a great deal. Cool in pan on wire rack for a few hours.

Once the cake is room temperature, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, melt butter in microwave. Add confectioners' sugar, maple flavor, and two tablespoons milk. Stir until mixed and of spreadable thickness, adding more milk as necessary to loosen it or sugar to thicken.

Spread glaze atop cake. To slice, lift up by foil and set on cutting board. Store slices in sealed container(s) at room temperature; keeps well for at least 2 days.

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Bready or Not: Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

Happy Halloween! Today I bring you a major treat, no tricks. These Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars will boggle your mind in the best kind of way.

That’s because these bars really do, in fact, taste like a combination of Snickerdoodles and Pumpkin Pie. Crazy, right?

And since those two things are delicious, that means these bars are REALLY REALLY GOOD. Not just the flavors, but the combination of textures.

That’s because these are soft and dense, easy to eat in hand or with a fork. The ones in the middle might end up a little gooier, though. Not necessarily a bad thing.

The list of ingredients looks long but it actually comes together pretty fast. The ingredients are so alike, I didn’t even bother washing the bowl and beater, which saved a lot of time and effort.

This makes a full 13×9 pan, so this is perfect for a potluck or family gathering. They might get softer after the two day point, but they will still be tasty.

 

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Bready or Not: Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars





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This recipe magically melds Snickerdoodle Cookies and Pumpkin Pie in a convenient, delicious bar. Make this treat to feed a hungry crowd!

Cookie Layer
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pumpkin Pie Layer
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup all-purpose flour
15 ounce can pumpkin puree
Topping
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.

To make the cookie layer, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Once they are smooth, add the eggs and vanilla. Next, mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.

Next up is the pumpkin pie layer. No need to wash the bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar followed by the eggs and vanilla. Add the baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and flour. Once they are just mixed, fold in the pumpkin puree. Spread the everything over the cookie layer.

Spoon together the topping and add it evenly over the top of the dough.

Bake for 38 to 41 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (though it may still be softer when cut). Cool at room temperature at least an hour, then chill in fridge for several hours. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board to slice up.

Keep stored chilled in a sealed container between waxed paper layers. Best consumed within 2 days; bars get mushier after that, but are still tasty.

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Roar of Sky Promo Post Round-Up

 

Here’s the promo round-up for Roar of Sky as of October 30th; there will be more posts to come!

Guest posts:

Scalzi’s Big Idea: Roar of Sky

My Favorite Bit from Roar of Sky

The Fantastical Food of Fantasy: Magic Made Real at Tor.com

An Excerpt from Roar of Sky at Liana Brooks’s site

Tweet thread: Beth Cato on research on Hawaii’s Big Island

Fantastic History: Geomancy from the Ground Up

The Page 69 Test: Roar of Sky

Interviews:

Beth Cato talks about Roar of Sky with My Life My Books My Escape

Poison Pen Bookstore Roar of Sky Release: Facebook Live with Sam Sykes

Roar of Sky is now out and available everywhere. If it’s not in your local store, don’t walk away! Simply ask them to order it. You can request your library buy it as well (libraries are awesome like that). Of course, it can be found at all the usual suspects on the internet, too.

#SFWAPro

Bready or Not: Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

Do you like soft, cakey cookies? Do you like pumpkin? Oh, do I have the recipe for you!

These Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies are stunning. The cookies are soft and tender in the mouth, and the maple glaze adds just the right touch of sweetness.

I’ve done this annual feature of pumpkin recipes for several years now, and I think this is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It’s not just that it tastes good–it’s textually pleasing, too.

Do note that the dough needs to chill for a while, and even when cold, it can be difficult to work with. Be patient and prepare to have sticky fingers.

Trust me, it’ll be worthwhile in the end.

Modified from a recipe included with ads for Reynolds Parchment Paper.

 

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Bready or Not: Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies





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These cookies are like a pumpkin and maple version of soft, cakey Lofthouse cookies! Note that the dough will need to chill for at least a few hours, and even then, it will be sticky to work with. Makes about 30 cookies using a tablespoon scoop.

Cookies:
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
Maple Glaze:
1 1/4-1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon maple flavor
1 Tablespoon water

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a big bowl, beat together the white sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl, then mix in vanilla and egg, followed by the pumpkin puree. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients.

Cover dough and chill in fridge for at least two hours; overnight is fine.

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon scoop to place dollops of batter spaced out on the sheets; the dough will be sticky to work with.

Bake cookies until golden brown, about 13 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets.

To make the maple glaze, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, butter, maple flavor, and a tablespoon of water. Add more water or sugar, as needed, to reach a thick yet spreadable consistency. Use the back of a spoon to swirl a thin layer of glaze atop each cookie.

Store cookies, between layers of parchment or wax paper, in a sealed container up to 3 days.

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ROAR OF SKY is out today!

TODAY IS THE DAY! Roar of Sky is out! The Blood of Earth trilogy is complete. Look for it on your local bookstore shelves–and if you can’t find it there, ask them to order it! You can also find it everywhere online. Poisoned Pen currently has signed copies in stock, too! Thank you to everyone who preordered there and elsewhere!

If you want to ask me questions about the series or my other books and stories or recipes, I am doing a reddit/Fantasy AMA today. Drop by and say hi!

After you read it, please leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other sites, and talk about it on social media. Word of mouth means a lot, especially for a brand new release.

Again, thank you to everyone who has read this series. I hope you enjoy the finale of Ingrid’s adventures.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
iTunes/iBook
Google Play
Powell’s
Books-A-Million
Poisoned Pen
Changing Hands
Mysterious Galaxy

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Want signed copies of ROAR OF SKY? Preorder now! Live near Phoenix? See me Sunday!

On Sunday October 21st at 2pm, I’m holding a special release party for Roar of Sky at Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona. You can get the finale of my trilogy two days before the actual release date, plus you can buy most all of my other books there and get them signed, PLUS I’ll bring cookies.

More info can be found here!

If you can’t attend in person, this event still might be relevant to your interests: Poisoned Pen ships worldwide. If you want to order ANY of my books signed, they can get those books to you. That includes Roar of Sky, still fragrant of fresh ink. I’ll sign all long-distance orders after my event is done.

Poisoned Pen is dear to my heart and needs love and support. Hey, look around their website and you’ll likely find other signed books to order, too. They have an incredible selection.

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