Sweet Treat, Sneak Peek!...

It's that time of the week, my post with the sneak peek and the recipe for a sweet treat. The holidays are looming! These cookies will be great for any gathering. So without further ado, here we go:

~Chipotle Chocolate Brownies~

8 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped     1 Cup butter

2 Cups all purpose flour     1/4 Cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 1/2 Cups sugar     1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon     1 to 2 teaspoons chipotle powder

6 eggs     2 teaspoons vanilla

unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 13 x 9x 2 inch baking pan with foil, extending over edges and lightly coat with a nonstick cooking spray. In a small saucepan combine chocolate and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. In a small bowl combine flour and the 1/4 cup cocoa powder. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, espresso, cinnamon and chipotle powder. Add chocolate mixture. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for one minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition. Beat in vanilla, add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Once all ingredients are in, beat on low speed for one minute more. Spread batter evenly into pan, bake for 35 to 40 minutes, sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder.

~Farrehn~

“You cannot be telling her things!” Polunda, Mistress of the Healer's Guild stood with her hands on her hips and stamped a tiny foot as she reprimanded Farrehn. Geralmin, Master of the Warrior's Guild had come by to see him and they had gone for a short walk out in one of the many gardens the Healers urged their patients to visit. Apparently, Kayta had confessed to Mistress Polunda how she had recalled her name so quickly. The furious Healer tracked down the half-ogre and now stood seething before Farrehn.

“By da Four Winds, woman, I was jest tryin' tae help. Stop yer screechin', yer givin' me a headache, too.” Farrehn stood slightly behind his Guild Master, afraid of the woman howling like a banshee. The image, to anyone else witnessing the event, was quite comical as the half-ogre towered over his Guild Master by at least three feet.

Sweet Treat, Sneak Peek!...

All right! I'm at the point where I am allowed to share snippets of my book with you all until it is released. And possibly even after to keep up interest, of course.

So I thought, hmm... what could I do to make this a bit more interesting? Well, since Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas are creeping up on us fast—Cookies!

I'm going to share a cookie recipe and a snippet. So you can make a sweet treat after I give you a sneak peek at my book.

Sound fair? All right, then, here we go!

I'm going to start with this recipe I found in the Better Homes and Gardens Ultimake Cookies and Bars magazine. I have yet to find another special interest issue like it.

I figure this would be a good cookie to pair up with my character Nightshadow. She's pretty spicy and she loves her blended herb cigarettes.

~Spicy Molasses Cookies~

1 3/4 Cups all purpose flour     1/2 Cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon     1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger     1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves     1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper     1/2 Cup softened butter

1/4 Cup shortening     1/3 Cup granulated sugar

1/3 Cup packed brown sugar     1 egg yolk

1/2 Cup dark molasses     1 teaspoon vanilla

In medium bowl, mix first 9 ingredients. In another bowl, beat butter and shortening for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add yolk, molasses, and vanilla. Beat until combined, then slowly add in flour mixture. Chill for one hour. Roll into 1 inch balls. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

And since you were so patient through that long list of ingredients, here is the snippet! Enjoy, both the cookies and the sneak peek:

~Nightshadow~

Nightshadow sat up in her room inside the massive mansion Nikkolani had taken over when he first came to Moordigan. This home had been abandoned, overrun with vines and weeds, matching the state of the rest of the city when Nikkolani first arrived. He fixed it up to suit his tastes and used more of the king's coin rather than his own. When he built up his D'raetus Pastiniir, he rewarded his finest assassins handsomely and in different ways based on performance. Being the best at her profession gave her some perks, but it also gave her some heartaches. She worked up the courage to speak to Nikkolani at some length during the night about Farrehn, who now lay in the Healer's Guild because of her. The discussion had been very heated, so much so that she decided to wait to tell him about Sorcha and the agreement she had made.

Dressed in loose leggings and a tunic belted at the waist, Nightshadow now sat before the window, absentmindedly braiding her hair. When she reached the end, she tied it off and stood just as a soft knock landed on her door. She slowly crossed the room, not expecting anyone, and opened the door.

“Nikkolani would like to speak with you,” a young girl told her.

“I'll be down in a moment.”

“I'll let him know.” Nightshadow shut the door and went over to her bed to pull on her boots. As she left her room, she locked the door. Living with thieves, it would be a matter of moments before they picked the lock but she certainly was not going to make it easy for them.