Cooking the Books #1

Cooking the Books is a new meme I've created so I can showcase some recipes found in fiction books. I read a lot of cozy mysteries that feature recipes at the end of the book, and tie-in recipes are becoming more common (like Maggie Stiefvater's November Cakes or Jessica Verday's Snickerdoodles). But these recipes rarely come with images and finding out what they taste like can be tricky so I've created a space to share my views with you!

The first recipe I tried was the Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies from Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates (my review is here). The brownies are mentioned several times in the book, most frequently referred to as Katie's favourite treat. The following passage was so mouthwatering I needed to bake these:

"I needed to digest the conversation with my parents and figured I might as well digest some comfort food, too. The salad had been healthy to an almost holy degree, and now it was time for some sweet goodness. First I stirred up some simple brownies using the old trick of adding boiling water to the batter to make them extra moist. Then came the best part: chunky peanut butter mixed with soft butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla and dolloped on top of the brownie batter. I drew a knife through the combination to create a chunky marbled effect and popped the pan into a hot oven." ~ pages 125-6

These were really fun to make, especially as my two-year-old niece helped :) The recipe is clear and easy to follow, with all the measurements in US cups and tablespoons. With my niece's help it took us about 45 minutes to prepare pre-baking (chances are you could easily halve that time if you don't have a toddler erm helping) and then a further 35-40 minutes to bake.

I stuck to the recipe throughout as my go-to brownie recipe doesn't have any water added so I didn't want to mess with things. You could probably convert it from US cups but to be honest it's not too hard to find a set (I have two) and they are a lot easier to use, especially when cooking with kids.

The only part of the recipe I would change is to make the peanut swirl topping after the brownie mix is made and in the pan as it thickened considerably when making it first. I was able to thin it a little by placing the mixing bowl into a larger bowl of hot water (essentially how you melt chocolate), but when you have a toddler anxious to see the results of their cooking you have to work fast so mine went on lumpy.

The final result:

And the taste? I really enjoyed them. The brownie is dense and has a rich, dark chocolate-y taste while the peanut topping adds a hit of sweetness and contrast. They were also approved by my niece who said they were "nom noms" :) The only person who wasn't overkeen was my brother-in-law but he isn't a big fan of peanut butter.


If you aren't a fan of nuts in your brownies, you may not like using crunchy peanut butter for the swirl. Given that the peanut layer puffs up and bakes onto the brownies, you could probably substitute smooth peanut butter with no problems. We don't often have chunky peanut butter at home so chances are I'll try this out at some point.

For people with food intolerances - these are dairy free, but do contain gluten, eggs and nuts.

Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates

Title: Brownies and Broomsticks
Author: Bailey Cates

Publisher: Obsidian
ISBN: 978-0-451-23663-0
Pages: 319
Series: Magical Bakery Mysteries #1
Type: Adult Cozy Mystery
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Katie Lightfoot has just left a less than satisfying life in Ohio and moved down to Savannah to open the Honeybee Bakery with her aunt Lucy and uncle Ben. As she and Lucy begin working on recipes for the bakery, Katie notices her aunt's habit of adding herbs to the mixtures and muttering and soon discovers these additions aren't just tasty...they're magical! But when a rude customer is found murdered out front and Ben becomes the prime suspect, Katie will draw on her magical heritage and, with the help of a handsome journalist and charming firefighter, try to solve the case herself!

This is the first book in the new Magical Bakery Mysteries and one that I shamelessly picked up based on the gorgeous cover. I ended up really enjoying the story and it has been a long time since I've read a cozy mystery with this many twists and turns. I couldn't figure out the murderer's identity but when it was revealed it all made perfect sense which is the best kind of cozy, at least in my opinion.

The book is set in Savannah and there are a few descriptions of the town through the eyes of it's newest resident Katie. The pacing is great, balancing revelations and world building with dramatic twists. The writing is gorgeous and this is packed with mouthwatering descriptions of food and various bakery treats. This is a world I'd be happy to live in! I loved how realistic the witchcraft was, as well as the delicate way it was introduced to the storyline. There's also a variety of practices described so it'll be interesting to see how these play out later in the series.

I really liked Katie. At first I thought she seemed a little stereotypical - starting a new business, just out of a messy long-term relationship, but she soon blossoms on the page. The only thing that bothered me about her was how little she slept, although I have the feeling this may be important in future installments.

Katie works hard to build her business and to clear her Uncle's name, while somehow balancing two potential love interests in Steve and Declan. Steve really irritated me by constantly calling her "Katie-girl" and honestly they seem to have very little in common. It's almost as though he has been put there as the 'doesn't care you're a witch' option, although Declan is incredible. The romance doesn't detract from the storyline though - it just enhances it.

At the end recipes for Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies and Cheddar-Sage Scones (both featured in the book) are included. These sound really yummy and I can't wait to try them out!

All in all this was a great read and I'm looking forward to Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 47/50