Comfort Cookies - Shannyn Schroeder

In my debut romance, More Than This, my heroine, Quinn, bakes what she calls Comfort Cookies. Comfort Cookies are a childhood treat meant as a salve for any trauma. After eKensington bought the book, I spent an entire weekend baking various kinds of chocolate cookies to create a recipe that would capture the essence of Comfort Cookies. Here’s the final version:

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter, unsweetened chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate in the top of double boiler or in a heat-safe bowl (metal or glass) over a pot of simmering water. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until mixture thickens. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. (Batter will be gooey.)

Scoop teaspoon-sized cookies onto cookie sheets. If using aluminum pans, line with parchment paper (no paper needed on stoneware). Bake for approximately 11 minutes, until tops are cracked and edges are set. Let cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to cooling rack.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

When a lonely teacher teams up with a handsome bartender for some outrageous acts, they both get more than they bargained for…

Learning her ex-husband is going to be a father, Quinn Adams is determined to have a baby of her own—without the partnership of a man. But her sister and friends believe she needs to focus on herself first, and step out of her comfort zone by completing a list of adventures. Challenge number one is to go on five dates within two weeks. After a few disastrous attempts, Quinn’s ready to give up—until sexy bartender Ryan O’Leary offers his assistance.

Ryan has always been the dependable one in his family, often at his expense. But lately, he’s been longing for a life—and a woman—of his own. The woman he has in mind is Quinn. Though it seems all she wants is friendship, Ryan can’t ignore the explosive chemistry he feels between them. In the hopes of becoming closer, Ryan offers to help out with Quinn’s list. But when she asks him for a serious favor, he’s afraid it will jeopardize his chance to become more than friends.

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