by Kimberly Quinton
Happy Holidays Everyone! Christmas is my
family’s favorite holiday and we tend to do it up big. I love the way my house
looks decorated with lights, the tree with so many memories, my few village
pieces and all the decorations I make my poor hubs pull out of the attic. As a
reward and because the weather makes me crave it—I bake our traditional
favorite treats. Cookies, cookies and more cookies plus a few quick breads
thrown in.
In my Christmas novella, Her
Wish Before Christmas, Genny Ridgeway is the family baker and sells her
cookies in her grandmother’s antique store. One of the cookies I put in the
story was an experimental recipe I fell in love with. Orange-Clove-Cinnamon,
three of my favorite holiday flavors all rolled in to a beautiful, white, sugar
coated ball of yumminess.
I thought I’d share the recipe with you
since it is not in the book. I hope you love it as much as the customers at
Camilla’s Collectibles do!
Orange, Cinnamon and Clove Snowballs
(a variation
of Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan fingers or Snowballs
depending on where you are from!)
Ingredients:
1
cup butter, room temperature
1/2
cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
2
tbsp orange zest
1/4
tsp ground cloves
1/2
tsp ground cinnamon
1
cup ground walnuts (can use almonds, pecans or a combination)
1/4
tsp salt
2
cups all purpose flour
1
cup confectioners sugar, plus extra, for dusting
Preheat
oven to 350F.
Line
a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In
a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar.
Beat
in orange zest, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground walnuts, and salt.
Slowly
blend in the flour with the mixer on low speed until all of the flour has been
incorporated and the dough comes together.
Shape
dough into 3/4- to 1-inch balls (I use a small melon baller or cookie scoop)
and place on prepared baking sheet.
The smaller the balls, the less time they need to bake so
watch the first batch.
Bake
for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to brown.
If you make them big, add a minute
and test. Depending on the size of the nuts, they may be crumblier than others
(The finer the grind, the more they stay together, but some people like
chunkier nuts).
Cool
on baking sheet for a few minutes and move to a cooling rack over a cookie
sheet and sift a layer of powdered sugar over warm cookies. Let cool another 10
minutes and then toss lightly in a bowl of more powdered sugar. I like to get a
layer of icing-like sugar on them before they are completely cool and tossed in
the last layer of sugar. Even with all this, they are not that sweet and are
great with a cup of Coffee or some hot cider!
Cool
completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes
2 1/2-3 dozen cookies.
Her Wish Before
Christmas
Loss
and love bring her home….
Genny Ridgeway
left Laurel Cove with a broken heart, vowing to never get wrapped up in wishes
and gypsy fortunes again. Returning awakens old feelings, old longings, and
wishes for long kisses beneath the mistletoe.
Broken
promises and hope for the future draw him back….
Connor
O’Rourke finally has the home he and his son have wanted. The only thing
missing is the woman he let walk out of his life twelve years earlier. He’ll do
anything for a second chance at love.
It’s
Christmas time in Laurel Cove….
Surrounded
by the spirit of the season and with a little posthumous help from her gypsy
grandmother, will Connor be the man Genny has always wanted to grant her wish
before Christmas?
Excerpt:
“Are you the one leaving bloody
footprints in the store? Your grandmother’s going to have a heart attack.” The
man stared down at her, holding the door open with one arm, the lamp base in
the other. He rested the plastic appendage against the doorframe and took a
step closer, his face clear in the light of the workroom.
“Connor?”
“Let me have a look.” He knelt and
grabbed her foot and held on tight when she tried to tug it back.
“Ouch.” She pulled her foot away from his
prodding.
“Sorry. Cut’s not too deep. A Band-Aid
and some Neosporin is all you need.”
Connor O’Rourke? The Connor O’Rourke? Twelve years hadn’t changed him much. Except he turned into a man. And one
fine man at that.
Jesus, did
he grow after college? His arms and chest sure had.
Heat blazed a fire across her cheeks when
her roaming gaze met his. Same cocky grin. Embarrassment couldn’t stop her from
comparing this Connor with the then Connor. His hair was cut shorter, but the
rich chestnut color hadn’t dulled. No hint of gray at the temples, no balding
either. So that night of drunken cursing
for him to grow fat and ugly didn’t take. Figures. What’s the use of gypsy blood if my curses don’t work?
“I didn’t know you were in town,” she
asked, proud she had kept the hysterical out of her voice.
“I wasn’t until this week. I’m setting up
a practice at the new clinic down the street.” He stood and helped her up from
the floor.
Connor F’ing O’Rourke back in town and
looking too delicious by half. She licked her lips and swallowed at the sudden
dryness in her mouth. The hurt and anger returned with a swift jab to her heart
rivaling the sting of glass in her foot. The feelings so fresh, like she was
eighteen again and waiting for the proposal that never came. Don’t go there. You’re over him.
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