Get A Headstart On Your Holiday Baking

As you can see, I now have all my back-list books up and running on Kindle (See cover links to the right). I’m happy to say that they are selling. Not as many as I’d like, but it’s early days and I’ve just started doing a bit of promoting to let readers know they are out there.

I’m currently working to complete two NEW books, Dream Stalker and Yours To Command that I’ve decided to put up on Kindle as an indie author. I’ll keep you posted on their progress.

With the holidays upon us, I’m all for finding quick yet yummy time saving solutions for holiday baking. Below is one of my favorite time saver recipes that I share each year with my readers. It’s my way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported me, purchased or at least taken the time to check out my books.

Chocolate Cake Caramel Chip Cookies




Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup caramel chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended.

3. Fold in the caramel chips. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies inches apart on the cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Frosting optional – In the photo above, I melted the remaining caramel chips over a double boiler then drizzled the melted caramel over the cooled cookies. You can also use premade cake frosting. Simply put a little frosting in a cup and microwave for a just a few seconds until melted, then using a spoon, drizzle over cooled cookies.

I’ve discovered that the consistency of this recipe tends to vary based on egg size, etc. I always bake one test cookie to see how it rises. This should be a thick, soft, cake type cookie. If it spreads out instead of rising, add a bit more flour.

Tips: You can use many variations on this cookie recipe; peanut-butter chips, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, nuts, etc. I also made the recipe using a spice cake with chopped pecans instead of chips. If you like a soft, cake type cookie, this one is fast and easy to make. Be creative. There are lots of types of cake mixes out there. (If you are planning to roll into logs and freeze, chill dough at least and hour or more, which will make it easier to work with).

This is just one of 8 to 10 types of cookies that I make for the Holidays. I roll all my cookie dough in to logs, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Then I simply slice and bake as needed for gifts, unexpected visitors, or when I have the urge for a cup of tea and a couple of cookies fresh and hot from the oven. Also, if you are a chocolate cake lover, you can keep a log in the freezer and have your cake in a few minutes without baking an entire cake that you feel must be eaten before it goes to waste.

If I come up with cool variations of the above recipe or other easy holiday treats, I’ll be sure to share.