Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for the Mix Up Some Romance Blog Hop.
Ah fall. This is my favorite time of year and the best time to be in the kitchen baking up goodies. Why? Heats up the house without any extra effort. :D At this time of year when the weather is heading toward cold, sometimes the simple act of baking and cooking leads to healing of both heart and body. It's the case in my paranormal romance, The Beltane Witch, where a little magic, mayhem, and motherhood can ease anyone's heart.
I love baking so today I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes (and Mr. SM drools each time I make these).
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE CHIP KISS COOKIES
- 48 Hershey's Kisses (I use the Special Dark, but any kind of Kisses will do)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter or margarine, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
- Chocolate Drizzle, recipe follows (optional)
- Heat oven to 375 F. Remove rappers from Kisses.
- Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until well-blended.
- Add flour to butter mixture and blend until smooth. Stir in small chocolate chips.
- Mold teaspoon's worth of dough around each chocolate Kiss, covering completely. Roll between hands into a ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (I usually put them on foil).
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool for two minutes, then remove from sheet to a wire rack and cool completely. Makes 48 cookies.
Directions for Chocolate Drizzle:
- Place 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon shortening in a small microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave at Medium (50%) for 30 seconds, stir.
- Microwave at Medium an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over completely cooled cookies.
EXCERPT of The Beltane Witch
“What
preparations do you usually make?” Darius sipped his tea as if they’d shared
breakfast hundreds of times.
Sabrina rubbed
her head and tried to think. “Give me a moment. My head still hurts.”
“How much?”
“Sorry?”
“How much does
it hurt?” He set down his mug and stood, reaching for her head.
“More of a dull
ache than anything. Oohhhh…”
The moment he
touched her, comfort and heat permeated her skull and soothed the pain. She
hadn’t realized how much it hurt until he relieved it. She relaxed her
shoulders and leaned into his warm hands, grateful the pain had stopped.
At last he stood
back and tipped her chin up. Sabrina reluctantly opened her eyes.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank
you.”
Darius smiled
the same sincere smile she’d seen the day before. “You are welcome.”
Damn, she wanted
to fall into those eyes, let him tell her everything would be all right and
believe him. Why can’t life be so easy?
But she knew better. She’d be alone again in a few days.
Sabrina jerked
her attention back to the subject at hand. “Okay, what I usually do is make
sure there’s enough firewood for the fire, attach the ribbons to the May Pole,
and make two dozen Deviled Eggs.”
“Eggs seem like
an odd feast item for a fertility ritual of the Goddess.”
“Maybe, but they
taste so good and we have to do something with all those eggs from Easter.”
Darius raised
his eyebrow. “You celebrate Easter?”
“Yes, at least
dyeing the eggs and hiding them for the girls. And we have baskets full of
goodies to enjoy.”
“Oh? What’s in
your basket, Sabrina?”
The way he said
her name sent fire into inappropriate places. Her pussy tingled and her
heartbeat sped up. What is wrong with me?
All he did was say my name.
She cleared her
throat and sucked down her tea to buy some time. “I prefer chocolate and
essential oils, but sometimes all I get are jellybean eggs.”
He leaned toward
her, his gaze smoldering, and some part of her wondered how the morning had
gone from comfortable to sexy. “I’d be happy pack your basket with chocolate
and essential oils, Sabrina. I find it very endearing you choose to celebrate
all the holidays.” His gaze dropped to her lips and her pussy clenched.
Kiss
me, kiss me, kiss me.
Darius tilted
his head and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. A small
smile curled his lips as he cupped her cheek with his hand and drew her to him.
Darius brushed
his lips against hers and her arousal hit the ceiling. He tasted of crisp
autumn mornings, her favorite time of year, and she wanted to fall into his
sweet flavor. She would have kept kissing if she hadn’t heard the furnace
rattle and the girls loudly discussing who would put which wreath where.
Reality intruded and Sabrina jerked back, her face hot.
Darius wore a
similar dazed expression and they stared at each other for a few moments,
trying to recollect their thoughts.
What
am I doing? He’s a seductive player, a gigolo, and all he wants from me is to
do the rituals. None of this is real.
“What are you
doing?”
So there you have it. Now for the good parts. The Grand Prize is the KitchenAid mixer for all your cooking and baking needs, and you must sign up through the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post. In addition, I'm offering a $10 Amazon gift card to a random commenter. To enter to win, please leave your Twitter handle or email address along with a comment answering this question: What is your favorite autumn baked treat?
You must be 18 years or older to win, and the mixer is only available to US residents. If you live outside the US and your name is drawn, you'll be awarded $100 Amazon gift card instead. Please void where prohibited. The drawing closes at 11:59 Eastern US Time October 10th 2014. To get to the other blogs on this hop, follow the link below. Good luck and happy reading! :)
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