Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #6

Beth VogtAuthors, books, Giveaway, scavenger hunt 35 Comments

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With apologies for this post being delivered to your inboxes twice in one day. There was a glitch in posting. And yes, we are posting a day early to ensure that when the scavenger hunt goes live, all the links on all the posts work smoothly for you!

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all 27 stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

  • The hunt BEGINS on 3/14 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com. (Earlybirds: The hunt begins at noon on Thursday, March 14!)
  • Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
  • There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/17 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
  • Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at Stop #27. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

 

Author Carla Laureano and I have a fun virtual friendship — despite living only an hour apart — where we talk all-things writing via Instant Message and text. One day we’ll meet up for our postponed-for-years coffee date. Carla writes such true-to-life characters, she’s convinced me that she’s been a professional photographer and a chef. Here’s a summary of her newly published book, Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe:

 

When Denver pastry chef Melody Johansson is given the chance to open a bakery with her best friend, it’s a lifelong dream come true. But that’s before her real-life Prince Charming lands on her doorstep in the form of handsome private pilot Justin Keller. Only problem? He’s committed to a business venture in Florida. Now, achieving one dream means giving up another … proving that in life, as in pastry, the choices can be bittersweet.

 

 

 

 

 

The Only Cookie Recipe You Will Ever Need by Carla Laureano

I’ve loved writing the culinary professionals in my Supper Club series, but I have to admit that so far, the character of Melody Johansson is my favorite. As a pastry chef, she has a touch with all sorts of tricky, elegant desserts, but she loves the recipes of her past that keep her connected with memories of her grandmother.

And what recipe holds more memories than the traditional chocolate chip cookie? I have a number of different personal recipes for different types of chocolate chip cookies—cakelike and fluffy or thin and crispy—but the bakery-style cookie remains my favorite.

Below is my version of a very common recipe that most pastry chefs learn in culinary school. It’s incredibly versatile, so don’t be afraid to play around with different mix-ins and flavorings. It makes a huge batch, so I take advantage of the fact the dough freezes very well and only bake one dozen at a time, saving the rest for a later date.

 

Makes 3 dozen

¼ cup unsalted grass-fed, high-fat butter, such as Kerrygold or Alfresco

¼ cup palm shortening, such as Spectrum

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped, or 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Allow the butter to sit until slightly warmed from the refrigerator, until it’s about 65 degrees and still firm and cool. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and shortening together in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Add the sugars and beat together until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly combined.

Turn off the mixer and add flour mixture. Beat on low speed (2 on a KitchenAid mixer) until the dough just comes together and only a few streaks of flour are visible.  Add the chocolate pieces and stir in on lowest speed, or mix in by hand with a wooden spoon.

Use a #32 cookie scoop (2 tablespoon/1-oz capacity), drop scoops of dough about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are puffy and nearly set. Cool cookies on the pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies are best eaten within one day, which is fine, because they won’t last that long anyway!

Make-Ahead Tip: Scoop cookie dough onto a small sheet pan, placed close together, and place flat in the freezer until frozen. Then transfer dough to a zip-top freezer bag and freeze at 0 degrees up to 6 months. When you’re ready to bake, place cookie dough spaced two inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan and allow to come completely to room temperature. Bake as directed.

Variations

Chocolate-Nut: Add ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans when you add the chocolate chips.

White Chocolate-Macadamia: Substitute 1 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate baking bar for the chocolate chunks and add ½ cup macadamia nut halves/pieces.

Almond-Coconut: Add 1 cup chopped flaked coconut, ½ cup chopped toasted almonds, and ½ teaspoon almond extract.

High Altitude (over 5000 ft): Make as directed but reduce baking time to 10 to 12 minutes.

 

Carla Laureano is the RITA Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

 

Here’s the Stop #6 Skinny:

You can order Carla’s book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD or at your local bookstore! 

My clue for Stop #6 is: hunts 

Link to Stop #7, the Next Stop on the Loop: Carla Laureano’s own site!

 

But wait, before you go! I’m offering a signed copy of Things I Never Told You, book one in the Thacher Sisters Series, to another entrant.  All you have to do is follow me on BookBub. Additional entries if you follow me on Instagram or sign up for my newsletter.

 

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Comments 35

  1. what is palm shortening? u had me at cookies … i love trying new recipes??! so fun. thanks for this chance. what great times finding new authors and a new Beth … are u a Elizabeth, or Betty? i am Elizabeth … most know me as Beth … love it when folks call me the real name though. nicknames are so many to list. happy 2019!! ( ;

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      Hi, Beth from another Beth! 🙂 I’m a straight-up Beth, although one elementary teacher tried to convince me that my name was Elizabeth. Carla will have to address the palm shortening question. I’ll ask her.

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    2. Hi Beth (both Beths, actually!) Palm shortening is simply expeller-pressed palm oil, and I prefer it because it’s non-hydrogenated and therefore much better for you than Crisco or the equivalent. It is NOT the same as coconut oil. Spectrum is the most common brand and can be found on the baking aisle of pretty much any grocery store.

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  5. I am a huge fan of Carla’s! Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe will make you hungry! Will have to try the cookies!

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  6. It’s 11 o’clock at night, and you ladies are making me hungry! When I’m done here I’m going to scavenge in the kitchen! 😉

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  7. I should be asleep but was thinking fighting the urge of midnight snack as I scavenger hunted. Then the cookie recipe! My growl was probably heard throughout the subdivision ?‍♂️!

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      Jessica: You and Karen should meet for a late night snack. I was up early … but I snacked on a bowl of fruit. It’s how I start my days. And my cookies are gluten-free. 😉

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      1. I just saw her post ?! Midnight snack party sounds good right now! I’ve never tried gluten free cookies but it’s probably a smarter choice then what I had in mind ?.

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  9. Chocolate chip cookies are THE BEST comfort dessert, hands down! I have a favorite recipe from a friend who did a tweak to the original Toll House recipe. I love it, it’s easy, and I always have the ingredients on hand!

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  14. Carla,

    Thanks for sharing this delicious sounding Chocolate Chip Recipe! Knowing you live in Denver, I kept thinking to myself, “Is this recipe for high altitude baking or has she adjusted it for everyone?” I admit I read it quickly & you may have addressed that! Brunch at the Bittersweet Cafe was FANTASTIC – even if I was hungry for homemade artisan bread all the time I was reading it!

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  15. I thought the contest ran until midnight on the 17th?? It’s 11:52AM EDST and it says the contest is closed:(

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  17. I love hearing about the healthier alternative with palm shortening. I’m going to check into this. Thanks for the info.

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