Beth Cato's Blog, page 64
September 13, 2017
Bready or Not: Chewy Almond Cookies
These Chewy Almond Cookies are an old favorite of mine, recently rediscovered.
I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook I was given as a wedding gift back in 2000. I used to make them all the time.
I totally forgot about the recipe until I stumbled across it again, this time in a Taste of Home best cookies collection.
Guess what? The cookies are still fantastic! I did modify the recipe, as one does. The original version made a very small batch. Therefore, I doubled it, and also increased the amount of vanilla and cinnamon.
If you love almonds, well, you’ll be in heaven. It doesn’t take much almond extract to add a wallop of flavor, and the slices on top add a lovely crunch to complement the soft, chewy cookies.
This is a great dough to make ahead of time. Keep the wrapped dough in the fridge for days, or frozen for months. You could make these now and pull them out at the holidays.
Plus, the frozen dough sticks are a great weapon if anyone breaks into your house.
Adapted from a classic Taste of Home recipe.
OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}
Bready or Not: Chewy Almond Cookies
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These classic refrigerator cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with almond flavor! Make the dough a day in advance of baking–or months ahead, and tuck the dough in the freezer.
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
about 3/4 cup - 1 cup sliced almonds
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and both extracts.
In a another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gradually stir this into the wet mixture.
Using plastic wrap, shape the dough into 2 or 3 long tubes of dough. Wrap them up well and refrigerate overnight, or freeze for months.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Cut dough into slices 1/4 thick; if they crumble a little, reshape with your fingers. Place spaced out on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Add several almond slices on each cookie.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Let them set on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
OM NOM NOM!
September 10, 2017
Sunday Quote features Almond Cookies this Wednesday
“Don’t blow off another’s candle for it won’t make yours shine brighter.”
~ Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper
September 6, 2017
Bready or Not: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you like some saltiness with your sweet, oh, do I have the cookies for you: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies.
As you might imagine, my husband’s co-workers get to taste a wide variety of cookies from me. But these, several declared, ‘were the best cookies they’d ever placed in their mouths.’
I consider that pretty high praise.
What makes these cookies different is the combination of flavors and textures. The pretzels add a lot here–bits of crunchiness and saltiness that is lovely cuddled with chocolate and caramel.
You can use whatever candy bars you want in this. I used Hundred Grands, but you can go for anything with chocolate and caramel, like Twix. Or you can use more chocolate chips and caramel bits.
You could play with the chocolate, too, and use whatever kind you want: milk, semi, dark. Or use a combo.
Whatever combination you choose, I hope you’ll consider these among the best cookies you’ve put in your mouth, too.
Modified from Two Peas and Their Pod.
OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}
Bready or Not: Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These mind-blowing cookies combine salty, sweet, and crunchy in an extraordinary way. Choose whatever caramel-chocolate candy bars you want here, or add in chocolate or caramel bits; use whatever types of chocolate chips you want, too. Any combo will be fantastic.
1 cup chopped pretzels
1 cup chopped caramel-chocolate candy bars (about 6 ounces)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup (2 cubes) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
extra sea salt or pretzel salt to sprinkle on top
Prepare your add-ins. Use a food processor (or chop by hand) the pretzels and candy bars. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet by greasing well or lining with parchment. (Remember, melted caramel can get sticky.)
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the dry ingredients. By hand, stir in the chocolate chips, pretzels, and candy bars.
Use a tablespoon to dole out dough balls onto cookie sheet, taking care to space them out; try to tuck visible caramel inside the dough to prevent too much oozing. Sprinkle some salt on top of the cookies.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies set on sheet for about 10 minutes before moving to a rack to finish cooling.
Store cookies in a sealed container between layers of waxed paper or parchment. Keeps well for up to 5 days.
OM NOM NOM!
September 4, 2017
New Publications & Podcasts to Start September
It’s Labor Day already? How did that happen? I fell behind on website updates, as in often the case with book release time, but my Bibliography and the Blood of Earth Trilogy media page are now current. Below are some highlights from August… and two chances to enter to win my books over on Goodreads, including a galley of my collection, out in two months!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Red Dust and Dancing Horses
by Beth Cato
Giveaway ends September 10, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Clockwork Crown
by Beth Cato
Giveaway ends September 10, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
New Story:
“Excerpts from the 100-day Food Diary of Angela Meyer,” Nature
Podcasts:
– O&F Podcast, Ep. 161: Once & Future Live Megacast, Gen Con 2017: Beth Cato & Mercedes Lackey
– The Two Gay Geeks podcast 127: interview with Beth Cato
– Unscrambled Authors Episode 32: Beth Cato
Call of Fire Guest Blogs:
– Scalzi’s Big Idea: Beth Cato’s Call of Fire
– My Favorite Bit: Call of Fire
– Historical Research Tips from Beth Cato
– Author Beth Cato on Writing Her First Sex Scene
– Page 69 Test: Call of Fire
Other Guest Blogs:
– At the Nature Blog: The Story Behind the Story of ‘Excerpts from the 100 day Food Diary of Angela Meyer’
– Tor.com Feature: Five Books Set in the Pacific Northwest
#SFWAPro
September 3, 2017
Sunday Quote stares down a new month
“I’ve been as bad an influence on American literature as anyone I can think of.”
~ Dashiell Hammett
August 30, 2017
Bready or Not Original: Matcha Cheesecake Cookies
The green tea theme continues to celebrate the release of Call of Fire! This is a fully original recipe: Matcha Cheesecake Cookies.
The Cheesecake Bars from last week were such a hit, I decided to grab my old Philly Chippers recipe and revamp it with matcha.
The result? Rich, luscious cookies that worked well with the fresh taste of green tea! Weirdly enough, the green color ended up faint again. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason for that, but for now, it remains a mystery.
This dough is great to work with. It doesn’t require any time to chill after everything is mixed together. Just make dough balls and start baking!
Since the cookies are already quite rich, I don’t recommend adding white chocolate to these. Instead, perhaps try some nuts like pecans for a nice complementary flavor and texture.
Or just eat’em plain. They are delicious with the recipe as-is!
OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}
Bready or Not Original: Matcha Cheesecake Cookies
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This Bready or Not Original creates thick, rich cookies with the fresh flavor of matcha.
1 cup butter (two cubes), softened
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tb matcha powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and slowly incorporate them with the wet ingredients.
Use a tablespoon scoop to transfer dough to a cookie sheet. The dough will not spread much as it cooks.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving to a rack to cool.
OM NOM NOM!
August 29, 2017
Where to get my signed books
No matter where you are in the world, you can order signed copies of Call of Fire through Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona. They know their stuff–they handle massive quantities of books for authors like Diana Gabaldon. Order online, by phone, or walk in. They can hook you up with my other books, too: Clockwork Dagger, Clockwork Crown, Deep Roots, and Breath of Earth.
If you live around Phoenix, you have some other options, too. Last Saturday, I drove a big loop around the metropolitan area to visit as many Barnes & Noble stores as possible that listed Call of Fire as in-stock via their website. Here’s where I signed books:
Metro Center B&N: 1 Call of Fire
Happy Valley B&N: 3 2 copies Call of Fire
Desert Ridge B&N: whole bunch of signed Dagger, Crown, Breath of Earth, and Call of Fire
Tempe B&N: 1 Call of Fire (with more copies of that and Breath of Earth on order)
There are also a few signed copies of Call of Fire at Half Price Books stores around Indianapolis. I’m not sure exactly where they dispersed after Gen Con, so maybe you can get a kind of treasure hunt out of it.
If you want to see my books in your local stores–whether in Arizona or elsewhere–order them through the store! That way, the local manager sees there is a demand, and that encourages them to order more to stock the shelves.
Libraries kind of work the same way. You can request my books be stocked there. If the novels are checked out regularly, the librarians know, too, and will buy more books by that author… and will also replace books if they get too worn.
If you have any questions about where to find my books, comment here or use my contact form, or reach out on Twitter or Facebook. I’ll be happy to help you out!
#SFWAPro
August 28, 2017
How to Bake Up an Author Brand
If you write and sell stories, you are a business person. You sell stories, but you also sell yourself. This is your author brand. It’s an identity that should be constructed with care.
If your social media presence ONLY consists of “Buy my book!” “Here’s a line from my book!” “Here’s my book link to Amazon!” you end up looking like a spam bot. This type of author is especially prevalent on Twitter. Do I want to be friends with a spam bot? No! Do I want to buy the product pitched by a spam bot? No way!
At the same time, though, we authors are business people. We need to sell books. We need to post those Amazon links. This is where author branding comes in. You must be more than your product. You must find a balance between posts about your book/story and yourself… and the book-selling element shouldn’t dominate.
Ask yourself:
What is my expertise?
Who am I as a person?
Am I a parent? A spouse?
A cat lover? A dog lover?
A hobbyist–a knitter, scrapbooker, woodworker? A foodie?
A resource within my fandom?
What do I want to project to the public?
What defines me?
In my case, back in late 2011, I realized I wanted to post more regularly on my blog. I didn’t feel comfortable doing frequent “how to write” posts, so I wanted to figure out another way to build my online author identity. I’d had a good response to a series of recipe posts the year before, so I decided I would make them a regular feature. I chose Wednesday as my posting day and dubbed the feature “Bready or Not.”
Other personal elements I share online include my cat, Porom. The internet exists because of cat pictures, after all, so I must do my part. I sometimes discuss or share links on autism, as my big day job is being mom to an autistic son. I also do what I can to support my author friends by sharing links to posts or giveaways, or calling out books that I have read and loved. I make an effort to stay positive and avoid drama.
As you build an online identity, you need to be aware that you are in control of how much you share. Some people share the minutia of the day; others manage well with a couple tweets or Facebook posts a week. However you construct your brand, do remember to post regularly. Keep your presence out there. Share animal pictures, craft projects, or recent book buys. Heck, I once shared a picture of a rather large scorpion that I found in my toilet bowl first thing in the morning–that gathered quite a reaction online!
As for me, I have maintained weekly Bready or Not posts for years now. My food blog has been mentioned in print publications like the Arizona Republic and RT Book Reviews Magazine. People associate me with cookies. I do my utmost to live up to my reputation by bringing baked goods to most of my events across the United States. I can be shy in person, but cookies help me to open up to people, and for them to open up to me.
I don’t even have to mention my latest book as I pass around a container of lemon cornmeal shortbread. My public persona is basically, “Hey, I bake delicious evil stuff. I love cats. I’m an unabashed geek. And oh yeah, I have published a few books, too. If you liked that cookie, the recipe is on my website!”
At heart, author brand is about the soft sell. It’s about presenting yourself as a public person–a public character–someone who is more than a book.
And in my case… someone who also traumatizes people with photos of scorpions in toilets.
Reposted from Novelocity.
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August 27, 2017
Sunday Quote is ready for summer to be done
“Generally speaking, books don’t cause much harm. Except when you read them, that is. Then they cause all kinds of problems.”
~ Pseudonymous Bosch, The Name of This Book Is Secret
August 25, 2017
Release Event at Desert Ridge Phoenix B&N tomorrow!
At 2pm tomorrow, I’ll be at the Desert Ridge Barnes & Noble location to talk books and happily sign copies, too! Bring books or buy there; Call of Fire will be available for purchase. If you’re in the Phoenix area, please come by. I’ll have cookies…!
#SFWAPro
