Grandma's Valentine Abduction - Release Date

The batch my co-author made using regular wheat flour.

A new gluten-free Cookie Lady recipe!

Grandma’s Valentine Abduction is available starting February 28th. You can pre-order today. Grandpa's New Year's Relocation: sale ends soon!

In this post, I’m testing the new Cookie Lady recipe. Book two in The Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries is set around Valentine’s Day, Lovey Dearheart’s favorite holiday, so heart-shaped cookies were a must.

Once again, I am the perfect person for the test kitchen. My cooking skills are weak. If I can make these, anyone can! This recipe looks much easier than the January filled cookie, although the New Year’s Resolution cookies in book one do have a sophisticated look and flavor. They are worth the effort.

As with most good cookies, we start with butter. Add salt, baking powder, cream of tartar or arrowroot powder, and sugar.
The liquid ingredients are vanilla, almond extract, and eggs. Buzz this until well mixed.

Last mixing step - add the flour. I use gluten-free flour. The recipe calls for a dash of almond flour, but I didn’t have any. I used a gluten-free mix. Wheat flour also works fine. The recipe instructs to not make the dough too stiff.

Before you can roll the cookies, with the dough being a bit gooey, you need to chill it. I put it in the refrigerator, covered, for an hour. You could leave it overnight.

Roll and cut the cookies using a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

This dough was still fairly soft, but didn’t stick to the mat. That’s partially due to scattering a bit of flour before rolling. If you want a delicate texture, don’t add too much flour! I wasn’t sure how to attach the sprinkles. I baked a tray of plain hearts, then tried dipping the warm cookies in sprinkles. Big fail. 

The next tray, I dipped the raw hearts in sprinkles, then baked. They stuck much better, especially on the ones I moistened with a touch of water. But perhaps a frosting might be the way to go if you’re serious about your cookie decor.

My awkward attempt was a success. Pretty cookies. Delicate texture. Subtly almond flavor. If you are actually a competent cook, yours might look like the photo!
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The Cookie Lady’s treats come with a touch of magic. Will her Valentine’s Heart cookies bring love to Brie’s holiday? Find out in Grandma’s Valentine’s Abduction.

Catch up with the series with Book One: Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, available in the usual places, plus Now Available in Colorado Springs at an independent bookstore! 
https://bookshop.org/shop/basecampbooksandadventure
https://www.facebook.com/basecampbooks/
https://www.instagram.com/basecampbooksandadventure/​

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