Coffee & Chocolate - How Could I Go Wrong?

Novel: Key Lime Pie Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke


It's August in Las Vegas which means it's Monsoon Season.  For tropical locales, monsoon season would means days where the skies could open at any minute and unleash beautiful, threatening, torrential downpours.  Here in the desert southwest, it means that we have a few weeks of slight humidity and beautiful lightning shows that produce just enough rain to dot your just-washed car with dust rings.


We had a spectacular lightning show last night and the air definitely smelled like we might get some measurable rain.  It was almost perfect weather to curl up with a great mystery and an iced cup of joe (it's still 100+ degrees here!).  With my eReader in one hand and my drink in another, I read about Hannah Swensen's latest cookie creation, Cappuccino Royales.  They're a coffee flavored cookie with milk chocolate chips and they sounded perfect for an evening listening to thunder, watching lighting, and curling up with a good book.

Cappuccino Royales with my favorite coffee cup!

The recipe is HUGE.  It calls for an entire pound of butter, three cups of sugar and three eggs.  It says it will produce 12 dozen cookies.  Although I love coffee and chocolate, there's just no way I could polish off that many cookies!  I cut the recipe in half and made about 6 dozen cookies.  I've shared them with the usual suspects - my co-workers, family and friends.  I also substituted Starbucks' Via packets for the Folger's Instant Coffee - it was what I had on hand and I think it turned out well. The cookies are a little on the dry side for me, but the coffee flavor is definitely pronounced.  I think I'll like these best by dipping them in milk.  

Taking Off For Two Weekends

It's been a crazy week - much drama at work (see my other blog about working in Paradise).  Although I often find baking/cooking to be relaxing, I decided not to try any new recipes this week.  I needed the time to relax.  I was able to finish the first book in a new culinary mystery, Cooking Up Murder (A Cooking Class Mystery).

It took me a while to get in to the book, but I think that has more to do with the fact that it's the first book in long time that I have not read on my Sony eReader.  It's hard going back to paper!  I loaned my reader to my father-in-law and just got it back.  Can't wait to jump in to another book.  I'll definitely add the Cooking Class Mysteries to my "To Read Book List".  I'm really enjoying the light-hearted mystery with the touch of romance.

I'm going to also take the following weekend off for a family vacation.  In the meantime, explore the books I've listed, try some of the recipes and feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.