Snickerdoodle Cupcake – comfort food for all the senses

snickerdoodle cupcake

For me, cinnamon is synonymous with comfort food.  The aroma in the kitchen while I bake something with cinnamon makes me happy.  The day I made these, it was a cold rainy morning, which called for something comforting.  Also, I hadn’t baked in about two weeks – I was practically going through withdrawal.

This is a well-rounded cupcake.  The buttery texture of a snickerdoodle melts in the mouth.  The yellow cupcake balances the sweetness of the cinnamon and sugar of the cookie.  The creamy feel of the cinnamon buttercream is a perfect compliment.

Here’s a snickerdoodle cupcake.  I can’t deny that it is a little cumbersome to make because essentially you’re making two desserts and combining them.

Directions:

First, I baked a batch of snickerdoodles (any recipe will do).  I baked the cookies until they were done but still on the moist side – only 10 minutes.  Then, I cut 12 cookies into quarters.

Second, I prepared cupcake batter (I used a regular yellow cake mix).  I place a scoop of batter in each of 24 cupcake papers.  Then I place 2 quarters of the snickerdoodle cookies in the cake batter.  I covered the cookies completely with more batter.  I baked the cupcakes for only 18 minutes.

I made a Wilton Buttercream frosting and mixed in 1 tsp of cinnamon.  I decorated with a simple swirl.  I was sure to add enough to support a cookie topper.

You should have 24 leftover pieces of cookies to top off the cupcakes.

And, as added bonus you’ll have more whole Snickerdoodle cookies to enjoy.

HAPPY BAKING!

Release Day: Deanna Eshler – Our Kinda Love (What Kinda Love #2)

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Synopsis:

Keegan Hughes is a fiercely independent, and annoyingly honest, college senior who believes in the zombie apocalypse. Her “unique qualities” entertain her friends and, unfortunately, attracts the attention of her new neighbor, Adrian Elliott.

Having been left behind by other men in her life, Keegan vowed to never trust another guy with her happiness. She’ll take what she wants from them, but they only get what she’s willing to give. When Adrian slams into her life, he tramples all over her rules and boundaries, constantly throwing her off balance.

Keegan can’t deny her physical attraction to Adrian, but his hyperactive, slightly delusional personality, is very unlike her usual type—confident, tattooed, alpha male. When Adrian makes a proposal that could benefit them both, Keegan knows it’s a horrible idea, but can’t resist his plea for her help.

Neither of them are prepared for the storm that’s created when their two very intense personalities come together. Will Keegan get the hell out before Adrian destroys every boundary she creates? If she stays, can Adrian get through his own real-life demons to be the first man in her life to make her a priority?

This Romantic Comedy is the second in a series, but it is a standalone. Our Kinda Love is a spinoff on secondary characters from the first book in the series – Shy Kinda Love.

Purchase  Our Kinda Love- Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Our-Kinda-Love-What-Book-ebook/dp/B013TAU7VY/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Our Kinda Love –  Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26117321-our-kinda-love

Purchase – Shy Kinda Love (first book in the series) – http://www.amazon.com/Shy-Kinda-Love-What-Book-ebook/dp/B00T73TD86/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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This is a hilarious, hot, and heart-warming book.  I’m finding it difficult to decide where to start because there were so many things that I loved about this book.

The characters are freaking phenomenal!  Their quirkiness is fantastic.  Aiden is this amazing combination of responsible and utterly irresponsible with an extra dose of hotness.  Keegan’s crazy in that she’s got an obsession with a zombie apocalypse, but at the same time she is a medical student and brilliant.  The discrepancy in Keegan’s show of intelligence is an interesting parallel to Aiden’s inconsistency.  As Aiden says, “[Y]our crazy compliments mine.”

There are so many other quotes from the book that I would like to share.  Honestly, that’s the crux of what makes this a MUST READ novel.  Deanna Eschler doesn’t miss a beat – even the names of the chapters are sensational.  The chapter titles depict a specific line in the story.  My favorite is “Empty Calorie Breakfast.”  The line from the book was, “[t]hat poor man got nothin’ but an empty calorie breakfast with a side order of blue balls.”

Our Kinda Love -2

The best part of this book is the fact that Keegan goads Aiden into reading her erotic romance book in order to improve his skills.  The discussions that follow are outstanding.

Our Kinda Love - 1

While this is the second book in the series, I read this book first.  I can’t wait and read the first book, Shy Kinda Love.

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Deanna Eshler!

Author Links

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Deanna-Eshler/362288833973004

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ddeshler

Author Website – deannaeshlerauthor.com

 

 

Book Teasers

Updated my site with some book teasers from about a dozen of my favorite romance series.

Stark Series by J. Kenner

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/scrapqueent/stark-series/

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Young couple kissiing

Shot of a solemn-looking young man lying face down in his bed

Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/scrapqueent/on-dublin-street-series/

Sinners on Tour by Olivia Cunning

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/mariskabell/olivia-cunning-%7E-sinners-on-tour-series/

Original Sinners by Tiffany Reisz

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/kyo31/original-sinners/

Rosemary Beach by Abbi Glines

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/natapou/rosemary-beach-series-by-abbi-glines/

Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/mamawnurse/black-dagger-brotherhood/

Chaos Novels by Kristen Ashley

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Images From: 13_pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/holyhotness/chaos-series-by-kristen-ashley/

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/catarinafsilva2/fifty-shades-of-grey/

Sea Breeze Series by Abbi Glines

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/billanddallas/sea-breeze-series-by-abbi-glines/

Kellan Kyle in Thoughtless Series by S.C. Stephens

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/wallinmt/thoughtless-kellen-kyle/

Drew Evans in Tangled Series by Emma Chase

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/mariskabell/emma-chase-%7E-tangledtwistedtied/

Remy by Katy Evans

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Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lilyslibrary/real-mine-remy-by-katie-evans/

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

e6ee76d94a71456deb3bd90505d46bba a593645b0c220c19647e665f97e2aa92

Images From: 13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/beckybookworm/travis-mad-dog-maddox-3/

Holly Caster – Cape May

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This is a very romantic novel in the truest sense.  The setting of Cape May is described in extreme detail and is utterly charming.  If you are interested in a book about a love affair where the characters are 60 years old, this would be a great pick.  After Michael finally kisses Joanna, it was nearly impossible to put down the book.  The author uncovers every emotional aspect in the novel.  The characters’ feelings felt very real and justified.  I was pleased how the story ended for all of the characters.

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Holly Caster!

Deanna Eshler – Our Kinda Love (What Kinda Love #2)

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This is a hilarious, hot, and heart-warming book.  I’m finding it difficult to decide where to start because there were so many things that I loved about this book.

The characters are freaking phenomenal!  Their quirkiness is fantastic.  Aiden is this amazing combination of responsible and utterly irresponsible with an extra dose of hotness.  Keegan’s crazy in that she’s got an obsession with a zombie apocalypse, but at the same time she is a medical student and brilliant.  The discrepancy in Keegan’s show of intelligence is an interesting parallel to Aiden’s inconsistency.  As Aiden says, “[Y]our crazy compliments mine.”

There are so many other quotes from the book that I would like to share.  Honestly, that’s the crux of what makes this a MUST READ novel.  Deanna Eschler doesn’t miss a beat – even the names of the chapters are sensational.  The chapter titles depict a specific line in the story.  My favorite is “Empty Calorie Breakfast.”  The line from the book was, “[t]hat poor man got nothin’ but an empty calorie breakfast with a side order of blue balls.”

Our Kinda Love -2

The best part of this book is the fact that Keegan goads Aiden into reading her erotic romance book in order to improve his skills.  The discussions that follow are outstanding.

Our Kinda Love - 1

While this is the second book in the series, I read this book first.  I can’t wait and read the first book, Shy Kinda Love.

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Deanna Eshler!

Rebecca Moon – Stripped Raw (The Warnum-Bailiff Series #2)

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Great story arc with fantastically intertwined characters!  Jason and Erin make a couple that you want to see good things happen for them.  The sacrifices that each make in the name of love make them incredibly likable.  Neither are without their faults but their hearts are in the right place.

The comparisons between the characters made the book very interesting.  I love the similarities between parent and child: Erin and her son Joey, and Jim and Jason.  The respect and concern between the generations was amazingly heart warming.  The differences between Erin and Jason were equally as compelling.

As a series, Stripped Raw nicely tied in to the previous novel, Stripped Bare.  If you disliked Jason’s actions in that first book, just remember every character deserves a second chance.  Jason truly turns his behavior around in Stripped Raw.

See Related Post:

Rebecca Moon – Stripped Bare

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Rebecca Moon!

Jamie McGuire – Beautiful Sacrifice (Maddox Brothers #3)

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Gotta love a Maddox Man!  Once again, when a Maddox falls for a girl, it is forever.  It doesn’t hurt that he’s cut like a underwear model.  But what is most impressive about Taylor is his relentless pursuit of Falyn.  His tactics and patience make him very likable, despite his singular despicable act.

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This story line overlaps in time with the previous novel, Beautiful Redemption.  After reading this, I want to go back and re-read the last book.

See Related Post:

Jamie McGuire – Beautiful Redemption

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Jamie McGuire!

Alice Clayton – Rusty Nailed (Cocktail #2)

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Humorous and romantic.  Alice Clayton will have you laughing out loud and fretting over the status of relationships.

I absolutely loved how the author had running text messages between the women about a topic then had a similar topic of texts between the men.  Of course, the difference between the conversations was hilarious.

The playful banter between Wallbanger and Nighty Girl is fantastic.  I like how they’re really comfortable in their relationship together despite it being less than conventional.  Even when they’re at Simon’s reunion, there’s a sexy security in their relationship.

Caroline says, “Do you know how intoxicating tonight was for me? … Half the women there tonight wanted to fuck you, Simon – but they don’t get to. … I do.”

Even when work gets in their way, Caroline and Simon seem to find ways to prioritize their relationship, making them an endearing couple.

See Related Post:

Alice Clayton – Wallbanger

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Alice Clayton! 

Eliza Madison – Fast, Fresh, and Hot

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Finally!  A romance with a little diversity (and I don’t mean cliched diversity that over emphasizes stereotypes).  Tariq was born in Egypt and his father was Iranian.  He moved to England when he was young so he has a bit of English flair in his vocabulary.  Besides Tariq’s olive colored skin, he also isn’t just some pizza delivery guy who’s out to bed every delivery customer.  He’s a graduate student and refuses to be dismissed as a boy toy.  Becca is outside the norm, as well.  She is a bit quirky in that she has an appreciation for Batman, including a tattoo in an intimate place.  Also, unlike characters in other novels that seem to forget all life responsibilities during their romances, Becca prioritizes her academic career.

The title is perfectly apropos.  It’s Fast – their relationship develops quickly.  It’s Fresh – the rarity of the characters is awesome.  And, holy cow is it HOT!  This isn’t some pizza-cheesy porn.  There’s serious sizzling chemistry between Tariq and Becca.

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Eliza Madison!

Heidi Hallifax – Dreamscape

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This is a unique story.  Half the chapters are told in dream scenes.  The imagery is described in great detail and has a fantasy feel.  I was expecting this part of the story to be raw and sexual but it was more sweet and traditionally romantic.  The other chapters are very realistic, no pun intended.  The alternating chapters compare the beautiful things in life with the ordinary state of everyday life.  I liked the running juxtaposition between types of relationships with men: lovers, friendship, and un-requited love.  Through these relationships the characters go through falling in love, heartbreak, and death.  The author keeps you guessing until the end.  Sorry, no spoilers here.

You can find the book at https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=heidi+hallifax+&type=

Screen Shot 2014-10-22 at 8.55.28 AM to Heidi Hallifax@