Writer Wednesday: C.A. Newsome and her Perfect Chocolate

Perfect Chocolate by C.A. Newsome

The main character of my Dog Park Mysteries is a starving artist. Lia’s idea of economy is to practice the best nutrition she can to stay healthy, something I’ve pursued most of my life. Her/my culinary endeavours frequently appear in the books.

I love this chocolate because it is so easy to make. It’s great brain and mood food, and much more satisfying than store bought. If you make the darker version, I find that one one of these is enough to satisfy. – Carol Ann Newsome

½ Cup Coconut Oil, melted

½ Cup Raw, Local Honey

¼ Tsp Sea Salt (Celtic or other unrefined salt, to taste)

2 Cups Raw Cacao Powder

30 Mini Paper Baking Cups

Optional: nuts and dried fruit of choice. This version contains dry-roasted, salted almonds and dried cherries.

If your kitchen is chilly, set your coconut oil on a trivet over the pilot light on your stove until it turns liquid, then measure out ½ cup into a large mixing bowl.
Use the same cup to measure out your honey, and add it to the oil along with the salt. (The oil residue keeps the honey from sticking.)
Stir in the cacao powder, ¼ cup at a time. You should end up with a big ball of chocolate that clings to itself and has the consistency of dense frosting.
Take a fork (I like to use a shrimp fork) and place a glob into each of the mini baking cups
Optional: Press nuts and dried fruit into the top of each candy if desired.
Place the cups in the refrigerator until they harden. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to eat them. You can set them on a cookie sheet for this step, then place in a plastic container after they set. Or you can do what I do and save those 6 ounce clamshells they pack berries in at the grocery store. Those are perfect for storing these.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Variation: for a darker chocolate, cut the honey to ¼ cup. You may have to “force” the cacao in. This chocolate will be stiffer.

Um, where is my coconut oil? I desperately need to be making this right now!! – MCD

Synopsis: Starving artist Lia Anderson makes a new friend at her seasonal job scoring academic proficiency tests. Desiree is a sassy, fun, pocket-sized sex-pot and owner of a larcenous beagle named Julia. Desiree also has a secret admirer who leaves her tiny figurines sculpted from twisted aluminum foil.

The friendship falls afoul when the pair discovers a secret connection in their past, a secret Lia’s detective boyfriend, Peter Dourson, kept from her.

When Desiree is murdered, Lia not only winds up with the woman’s kleptomaniac beagle, she also inherits her stalker. On the outs with her beau and with the police on the wrong track, Lia will have to rely on her wits and her friends if she wants to stay alive.

MCD note: Sneak Thief is the fourth book in the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries. You can find all the books on Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and Kobo. Note for the Amazon links: simply change the .com to .ca or .co.uk to get redirected.

Author Bio C.A. “Carol Ann” Newsome is an author and painter living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her two rescues, a lab/chow mix and a mini schnauzer. They can be found every morning at the Mount Airy Dog Park, home of the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries. Connect with Carol Ann on her website.

Dowser 4 – Tease in a Cup

Presenting Tease in a Cup, Kandy’s second birthday cupcake, from Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4). These blackberry chocolate cupcakes share the same base with Sass in a Cup but they’re iced with blackberry buttercream! The touch of lemon in the buttercream is definitely the secret ingredient. So tasty!

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Tease in a Cup was originally featured on the Reader Cafe on March 14, 2015. 🙂

Oh, happy birthday to my sister!!

Chocolate and Eggs

Yesterday a lovely neighbour messaged to see if I wanted a dozen of her eggs. Though I had a dozen in the fridge, I immediately said “yes, please,” jumped in the car, and tore off down the street to pick them up. Who says no to farm fresh eggs? Not me.

Before I even got my hands on the eggs I had plans for Egg Benedict for Sunday brunch (courtesy of Michael) and Chewy Gooey Chocolate Cookies for an afternoon snack. I believe this is the perfect pairing, using the yolks for the hollandaise sauce and the whites for the cookies.

Then Gerri – the lovely neighbour who is willing to share eggs from her heritage flock – mentioned she was making a chocolate soufflé, which – having never made one myself – sounded like WAY too much work for a Saturday evening to me.

Of course, sometime before making mini pizzas for dinner last night I decided I should try to make a chocolate soufflé as well.

Yeah, I know one doesn’t just whip up a soufflé on a whim, but around 8:30pm Michael and I paused Winter Soldier and gave it a go … the first attempt at the ‘chocolate part’ seized, and I over-whipped the whites as a result of the delay. But, eventually, I baked something that looked reasonable for a first try.

Except I didn’t like it.

It tasted floury, even though the recipe only called for three tablespoons of flour.

Four eggs, some sugar, and a half cup of chocolate. I used some of my precious Allure from Chocolate Arts, and I didn’t like it.

Why?

Not enough chocolate.

You know what has more than enough chocolate?

The Chewy Gooey Chocolate cookies currently in my oven. I’d recommend these over a fiddly soufflé any day.

This is what I look like when I blog on a Sunday afternoon. First selfie ever taken on my new laptop!

Modifications to the recipe/notes: My go-to chocolate for these bad boys is Tanzanie by Cacao Barry, which cuts the sweetness perfectly. Don’t refrigerate the batter!! And either eat these the day you bake them, or freeze immediately. Michael loves them frozen, but they thaw beautifully. 😀

Dowser 4: Sass in a Cup

Updated recipe: April 18, 2016

SassinaCup_postcardsize_recipe

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Original Post:

Presenting Sass in a Cup – one of Kandy’s birthday cupcakes – from Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4). These blackberry chocolate cupcakes frosted with a generous swirl of blackberry chocolate buttercream happen to be my favourite of the four new cupcakes mentioned in Dowser 4. They’re insanely good, so moist! And the pairing of blackberry and chocolate so works (if I may say so myself).

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Tease in a Cup will be featured over at the Reader Cafe on March 14, 2015, then I will post the recipe here.

Writer Wednesday – Ella Medler

Let’s welcome author Ella Medler to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t been doing these posts regularly for while, but when Ella mentioned her novella ‘Not Juliet’ to me I knew I had to tell you all about it … plus an excerpt and a new recipe – YAY!

Made by Ella Medler

Easy-make, flourless, low-fat macaroons

In a bowl big enough to make a salad put 4 egg whites.

Whip them until stiff, adding 4 spoonfuls of sugar as you go.

Add any flavorings (I like a dash of extra almond).

Now add in equal quantities shredded coconut and ground almonds (almond meal) until the mix reaches dropping consistency.

You want to be able to drop sloppy spoonfuls of this on a baking sheet.

Bake for about ten minutes – or until firm to touch.

Cool on a cooling rack.

Drizzle melted chocolate for a luxury finish.

Meghan’s note: make sure the egg whites are room temp. Also, I adore adding ground almonds to my macaroons – YUM!

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Not Juliet

Synopsis: Riella Smith, an unconventional Romany Princess, travels to Tuscany on the trail of her father’s challenger, to delay him and prevent unnecessary bloodshed and humiliation. What she expects is trouble from a fearsome rival. But life is rarely that easy. The trouble she finds is of a different kind. Soon, she faces the toughest decision of her life – again – though it should really be a no-brainer. All she has to do is choose between her people and a myth. After all, there’s no such thing as love at first sight.

Excerpt: Luca buried his face in her hair, trying to save his eyesight. Riella was lethal. She would have made a very successful cage fighter.

“I begged you to leave him alone. I begged you on my knees!”

“He knew it,” he shouted, trying to still her. “He gave up his life to protect yours.”

She still fought, but he could feel her tiring, grief weighing her down. Deep sobs erupted from her chest, replacing her will to fight.

“Come on.” He pulled her to her feet and towed her into the darkness, farther away from the fire and shootings.

They made it to the last trailer just as he heard the grenade launchers.

“Fuck. We need to run like you’ve never run before. Over to that line of trees. Ready?”

“No. Wait. I can barely stand up.”

“Tough. You can complain later. C’mon.”

Luca grabbed Riella’s hand tight in his hand and started for the trees. They ran for their lives, while behind them the campsite turned to churned mud and fire. Trailers and cars alike blew up, and the few people who hadn’t already taken cover ran away into the darkness.

As soon as they were hidden by the first line of trees, Riella pulled her hand out of his and dug her heels in. “Wait!”

“Riella, we’re not safe here. We need to get farther in.”

“I don’t give a shit! You stop and answer me one question, Luca Anziano, or you may as well kill me here and now.”

Luca stared at her for a split second. Dogged determination was shining in her eyes. Hell of a gene to inherit from her father. Why couldn’t she just have his color eyes, or same shape chin instead?

Riella stood, hands on hips, hair wild and twisting in the wind, outlined against the conflagration that had been her and her people’s home, like some avenging angel come to rid the world of its canker.

“Luca,” she panted, “when you told me you loved me… I just need to know… Were you lying to me?”

The metallic whizzing of several simultaneous barrels resonated over the crackling of the fire. Sprays of bullets showered the already destroyed site, catching any stragglers unawares.

“Who the hell sold him a metal storm? The guy’s nuts!”

“Answer me!”

“I’ll answer you on the go.”

Luca grabbed her in his arms and ran. The bullets kept coming and Riella was shouting something over the noise, but not loud enough for him to make out individual words. He ran, mind focused on one thing, and one thing only: to get her away from the danger, to make her safe.

The forest floor was uneven, and it would have been difficult terrain even without having to carry a struggling woman in his arms; with her added weight, Luca felt like he was wrenching each step through a vat full of treacle. His thigh muscles burned, his lungs were on fire, but now he could see the road, and parked to the side, the truck in which Karalius must have brought over his arsenal designed to teach Goliath’s people who’s boss.

Escape was in sight.

From in front, someone opened fire, and Luca stumbled. Before he could work out why, he hit the ground and knew no more.

BUY ON AMAZON

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Bio: Ella Medler is a U.K. author and free-lance editor. She writes fiction in more than one genre in a seemingly vain attempt to slow down her overactive brain enough to write non-fiction on subjects she knows a thing or two about. She also does not believe in the starchy use of English and ignores the type of rule that doesn’t allow for a sentence to be finished in a preposition. Her books are action-driven and well-developed characters are her forte. Loves: freedom. Hates: her inner censor.

To keep up to date with her current writing and future projects, visit her website at http://ellamedler.wordpress.com/

Writer Wednesday – D.B. McNicol

Let’s welcome author D.B. McNicol to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! Donna has another “mom” recipe to share with us – YAY! – along with her book, Not A Whisper. I’m thinking I just might be in the mood for a romantic suspense novel. What about you?

Made by D.B. McNicol

This is a recipe from childhood, something my mother concocted. My brothers and I loved it and we have all passed it on to our kids who grew up loving it as well. She called it “Goulash” but it’s not the dish that typically comes to mind. Quick, simple, tasty! – Donna

My Mother’s Goulash

1 pound ground beef

2 small or 1 large can of Italian Stewed Tomatoes

Optional: make yours from scratch for less sodium

1 cup pasta

1 small onion or dehydrated onion

Add pasta to pan of boiling water. Boil for two minutes. Stir, cover and set aside to cook.

Brown the ground beef mixing in the chopped onion or sprinkling with the dehydrated onion.

When beef is browned, drain off grease and add the stewed tomatoes. You can drain the liquid but I use it all since there are usually leftovers and this keeps them moist. Chop the tomatoes smaller.

Drain the pasta when done, add to the beef and tomatoes. Stir and simmer for 5 or so minutes.

Serve and top with grated cheese and/or Mrs. Dash Original.

Approximately 6 servings

NOTE: my mother always used sea shells, I often mix types of pasta and here in Ecuador we currently use vegetable pasta. When we heat the leftovers we add a dab of butter … almost better the second time around. – Donna

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Not A Whisper

Synopsis: When Cherie Marshall catches her fiancé and best friend in a compromising position, she cancels her upcoming wedding and jumps at the chance to escape to quiet Klondike, Pennsylvania to care for her elderly aunt. She thought her biggest issue would be adapting to life in the middle of a National Forest, so very different from her upbringing in the deserts of Arizona. But that was before she met State Trooper Fire Marshall Jamison “Jazz” Maddox at the scene of a mysterious fire. As they both become acquainted with the close-knit Klondike residents, things get complicated as Cherie and Jazz find themselves in the middle of a local crime wave where arson, kidnapping, embezzlement and a decades old murder are just the tip of the iceberg.

Early reader comments:

“What a great read. I didn’t see the end coming. Can’t wait until the next book is out. Fast paced, twists and turns and a little romance thrown in. WTG!!”

“Fantastic Donna! Best book I’ve read in a long time. Excited to hear more about these characters.”

“I’m about half way through and loving it. Very hard to put down, a great read!”

AMAZON – SMASHWORDS

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Donna B. McNicol retired after 30+ years working in the IT industry. She spent many of those years writing technical documents and user instructions. In 1996 she began moonlighting in freelance writing; she spent the next ten years writing for such online sites as The Mining Company, Suite101, BellaOnline and About.com.

A year into widowhood, she decided to ride the 48 continental US states on her Harley-Davidson motorcycle, solo. Over five months and several trips she managed to ride through 42 states, covering over 27,000 miles. In 2007 she started full-time RVing, traveling the USA. In 2008 she met her husband and they married in 2009.

In 2012, while traveling the country in their 41’ fifth wheel trailer (with room for their two motorcycles), she decided to give fiction writing a try. Her first book, “Home Again” was published in 2012, quickly followed by “Barely a Spark” and “Not a Whisper” in 2013. She has also written several short stories and flash fiction compilations as well as a children’s picture book.

She and her husband currently reside in Cuenca, Ecuador where she continues her writing.

Be sure get your free copy of the Klondike Kompanion and read the “Meet the Characters” interviews from the author’s website.

Writer Wednesday – Jeanette Raleigh

Let’s welcome author Jeanette Raleigh to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! Jeanette has recently expanded her novella, Moon Struck, into a longer novel. You can currently download the 1st book in the When Were & How! series for free via Smashwords or $0.99 via Amazon. If you do take a moment to read – the story looks like A LOT of fun – please leave the author an honest review at at your point of purchase.

Made by Jeanette Raleigh

This particular recipe reminds me of my high school English teacher. Even though he was known for being a tough grader, I loved his class. I sat at the front and paid very close attention. Even back then I wanted to be a writer. Every month or so our class would all decide to bring goodies on the same day for an impromptu party (without telling the teacher). He would go along with it, letting us have our treats before getting down to business. He LOVED my mom’s brownies. Thanks Mr. Miller – Jeanette

Yummy Rich Brownies

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp real vanilla

2 eggs

Qty 2 – 1 oz unsweetened chocolate – melted

½ cup flour

½ cup chopped walnuts

Cream first three ingredients. Beat in eggs. Add chocolate. Stir in flour & nuts.

Grease a 8” x 8” x 2” pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool.

Best if served with ice cream or whipped cream.

You know, I’m still sick and I in no way NEED brownies but I WANT brownies now! I’m so susceptible to these writer wednesday posts!! – Meg

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Moon Struck

Synopsis: When Jen falls in love with her boss, she doesn’t think she has a chance. After all, she is only a little weremouse. With a broken heart after Rob’s moon tryst spends a night at the office, Jen finds a magical way to become a wolf. But walking in someone else’s fur isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, as Jen learns in Moon Struck.

AMAZON – SMASHWORDS

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Jeanette Raleigh is an artist and author who has spent most of her life at some creative pursuit. Whether painting a castle or writing a novel, Jeanette enjoys the playful aspects of creation and strives to create worlds where others feel at home.

Writer Wednesday – Elizabeth Jasper

Let’s welcome author Elizabeth Jasper to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! When Liz told me she had two “mom” recipes to share with the blog I was thrilled. Mom recipes are always standouts. I’ve never made a brioche before but this sounds really amazing!!

Made by Elizabeth Jasper

Completely out of the blue, two of my daughters contacted me within 24 hours to ask for different recipes they remembered from when they were growing up. This reminded me of the kind of things I liked when I grew up; not much, as I remember, as it wasn’t that long after the Second World War and my mother’s generation had little in the way of ingredients because of rationing and had to cook simple meals with not very interesting ingredients. In my book, Meggie Blackthorn, the heroine, Meggie, is growing up in that same era, when ingredients were still scarce. In the narrative, I describe what sort of meals Meggie and her family were able to have; some great (her mum is a great cook) and some not (her grandmother is terrible). What a contrast to the range of ingredients available to me when my children were growing up. Here’s the first recipe – perfect to take on a summer picnic. – Liz

Salmon and Pesto Brioche

Serves 6

Ingredients
for brioche dough
8oz plain flour
1 packet easy-blend yeast
3 tbsp milk
3.5oz melted butter
1 tsp sugar
Half tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
10oz cold cooked salmon
3.5ozs pesto (bought or home made)
Egg to glaze

For pesto sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh basil leaves (or parmesan)
2 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp finely grated pecorino cheese
salt & pepper

Method
Brioche dough
First make the brioche dough by putting all the ingredients into a bowl of a food processor and mixing well (about 2 – 3 mins). Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead lightly into a ball.

Put into a greased polythene bag and leave to rise either in a warm place for 2 hrs or overnight in fridge. Knock back the dough and divide into 12 balls, knead each one lightly and then roll them out into circles about 4″ in diameter.

Place a small spoonful of pesto in the centre of each circle and then put on a piece of the cold salmon. Gather the edge of the dough, having dampened them lightly, and enclose the filling forming a ball.

Place these seam-side down on a baking sheet and leave to rise for about 15 minutes while the oven is heating to 450F (230C) or gas mark 8. Glaze with the beaten egg and cook for about 15 mins until golden brown. Allow to cool. These are best baked on the day of eating though much of the preparation can be done earlier.

Pesto Sauce
Pesto is a pungent Mediterranean sauce whose strongly aromatic flavours of basil and garlic are enhance by the rough texture of the pine nuts and cheese.

Process all ingredients except the cheese, which is stirred into the amalgam after blending.

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Meggie Blackthorn

Synopsis: Early 1960s – Newcastle, UK. When eleven-year-old Meggie’s feckless Dad doesn’t pay the coal man she takes matters into her own hands. With her younger brother, Jack, she sets off to find the free coal she knows can be found in the pit heaps opposite their village. When she and Jack return home from their adventure, she’s punished. Does she still love her dad? She’s not so sure and when she has to make a choice between going to live with her grandparents at their newsagent’s shop in Newcastle so she can go to the grammar school or staying in Shippon and going to the local secondary school she decides to leave home. She soon finds herself in an even bigger mess. Billy Fish and The Codmother are ripping off Meggie’s grandparents. With her new friend, paperboy Dave Spedding, she tries to help, but finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. Growing pains, a new school, dealing with Billy Fish’s threats against her grandparents and coping with long-hidden family secrets stretch Meggie’s resourcefulness and strength of character to the limit.

AMAZON – SMASHWORDS

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Author Elizabeth Jasper About Elizabeth Jasper. Born and raised in the NE of England, I spent most of my working life in various capacities in prestigious UK universities, where I organised SummerSchools and Study Tours, as well as carrying out a variety of administrative functions. I liked working for a living – it paid the bills – but I love writing even more. These days I am fortunate enough to be able to write full-time and have completed five novels, all available on Amazon Kindle: The Golden Cuckoo (for children aged 9-12), Lying in Wait, A Bed of Knives and books One and Two in the ‘Meggie’ Series – Meggie Blackthorn (Book One) and Meggie Blue (Book Two). The third book in the series, Jack the Lad, will be published in 2014. All of my books are available in paperback format. My primary aim as a writer is to entertain and engage my readers. I write across genres in order to expand my characters beyond the stereotypes often found in genre books and no matter how dark the material, I hope I can raise a smile or two along the way. A tear is even better.

Catch up with Liz online at her blog or on Amazon

Writer Wednesday – C. A. Newsome

Let’s welcome author C. A. Newsome to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read any of Carol Anne’s books yet, but her mystery series is getting a lot of buzz!! It averages 4 stars out of 197 reviews on Amazon – NICE!!

Made by C. A. Newsome

I began researching brain foods after a head injury in 2001. Food has an enormous impact on your ability to concentrate, as well as your levels of energy, your mood and your health. After years of experimentation, I’ve settled on the following recipe as the best way for me to start my day. This recipe makes about one quart. You can serve it up as breakfast for two, or do what I do and have half for breakfast and half for lunch.

My main character shares many of my food quirks. Her boyfriend, Peter, prefers Pop Tarts. He refers to the following recipe as Lia’s Pond Scum Smoothie. – C.A.

Lia’s Pond Scum Smoothie
Put 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen) in your blender
Add enough chopped kale to fill the rest of the blender without packing (I use pre-washed, chopped kale. Baby kale has a lovely texture and milder taste, but it’s expensive and doesn’t last as long in the fridge).
Add 12 ounces water or almond milk
Blend.
Add 1 banana and 1 avocado
Blend until smooth, adding additional water or almond milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Option: Add a Tablespoon of green powder.
Option #2: 1-3 Tablespoons ground chia seed for extra fullness, protein and Omega 3s

Green powders are a great way to supplement. Chlorella and spirulina are excellent brain foods. I make my own green powder, combining 4 ounces each cracked cell chlorella and spirulina with 2 ounces each of wheatgrass powder and barley grass powders. I put these in a glass quart jar, then close the lid and gently roll the jar around until they combine. – C.A.

I’ve been doing a green smoothie every morning in 2014 so far – yes, an actual New Year’s resolution – so I’m totally looking forward to trying Carol Anne’s recipe. Also, her main character, Lia, has “food quirks”? I think MANY of my characters could relate – LOL.

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A Shot in the Bark

Synopsis: Would you recognize a serial killer if you met one? Talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn’t, and neither does anyone else who frequents the Mount Airy Dog Park.

When Lia’s boyfriend, Luthor, dies violently, Detective Peter Dourson is assigned to the case. Peter penetrates the close-knit group of dog lovers with the help of Viola, the dead man’s dog. The more he learns, the more he is convinced that someone is not who they seem. As the investigation uncovers Luthor’s secrets, Lia struggles to make sense of her feelings about Luthor and her growing attraction to Peter. Meanwhile, a killer hides in plain sight and anyone can become a target.

AMAZON – iBOOKS – BARNES & NOBLE

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C. A. (Carol Ann) Newsome writes the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries, a series of fun, romantic suspense/mystery novels which are inspired by and centered around her mornings at the Mount Airy Dog Park with her trio of rescues (rowdy hooligans).

A life-long lover of fiction, Carol turned to books and audiobooks during her decade-long recovery from a head injury that occurred when she and her bike were struck by a car. Years of immersing herself in popular fiction lead to imagining the book she wanted to read, and wondering if she could actually write it.

She is also an artist with an M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati. You’ll see portraits of some of her favorite four-footed friends on the covers of her books. She enjoys creating community-based public artworks. As an artist, she is best known for her New Leaf Global Good-Will Guerrilla Art Project.

Her other interests include astrology, raw food and all forms of psychic phenomena. She likes to sing to her dogs. The dogs are the only ones who like to listen.

Catch up with Carol Ann online at her website. Pssst, she’s been known to do LOTS of giveaways!!

Shaved Chocolate Chunk Cookies

It all started with a chocolate bunny. Okay, it all started with a tea date with my friend, Janine, who brought the dark chocolate bunny. No, wait it goes further back than that … it was just the chocolate bunny – a Purdy’s dark ‘Hopkins’ – that triggered it all. Some time in 1995 – I told you we were going WAY back – we got ’email’ through the University. I place the word email in quotes because I am not sure that it was actually email, maybe it was just some sort of messaging system that connected Canadian or other Universities? Anyway, an old friend, Richard, and I some how connected through this system, and he sent me a cookie recipe – yes, my reputation for baking cookies was firmly cemented even then. The recipe had some story attached to it that I have mostly forgotten, something about a woman eating these cookies at Neiman Marcus and then getting charged $500 ($5000?) dollars for it, and the store refusing to reverse the charge so the woman was now deliberately sharing the recipe with the entire world …

This story, even hastily sketched out here, sounds suspect, but the cookies sounded delicious. I wrote the recipe in my book and made the cookies … looking at my notes, I omitted the nuts (as I always do) but didn’t change anything else back in 1995. Someone – I’m not sure that is my printing – has written the note, ‘good!’ in pencil (see below) beside the ingredients, so I guess they were good, but, ultimately, too time consuming for me to bake often.

Back to the bunny. Yes, the bunny made me want to make these cookies again, but of course, I can’t ever follow a recipe, so I modified it to taste.

Yes, I chomped off his ears and gnawed on his head a couple of days ago ... can you blame me? — Yes, I chomped off the bunny’s ears and gnawed on his head a couple of days ago … can you blame me?

grated dark chocolate — This is what 10oz of dark chocolate bunny looks like grated. YUM!

first batch of rolled dough — I hand rolled the first batch, as the original recipe suggested.

First batch – tasting notes – hand rolled, baked for 12 minutes and allowed to cool on the rack for 10 minutes. They were a little too dry for my tastes, and maybe I didn’t use enough chocolate chunks? So:

Second batch – tasting notes – dropped by mounded tablespoons, baked for 10 minutes. Allowed to cool for 5 minutes. Better.

Third batch – chilled the dough for 24 hours. Ate fresh from the oven, dipped in milk – YUM!

Fourth batch – chilled another 24 hours (48 total). I do think these do get better with extra refrigeration.

hand rolled cookie, baked and broken... — hand rolled cookie, baked and broken…

So, all in all, this was a fun and tasty experiment. I’m about to dropped off the final batch to the neighbours across the street, as I need to get them out of the house. Did I mention the recipe yields DOZENS of cookies? Too many dozens!! These don’t rank in the top five of my all time favourites – they are still too much work – but they are super tasty and a good use of a chocolate bunny.

You can find a PDF of the recipe & notes here: shaved chocolate chunk cookies recipe, if you are at all interested.