Julie Reece | Gothic Mansion PB & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Along with two hundred year old live oak trees, Civil War legends, and lime-green salt marshes, South Carolina’s low-country is famous for delicious southern cooking. The deep fried, slow cooked, high fat, buttery, sugary goodness is prevalent throughout my new young adult book THE ARTISANS.

See, Raven is forced to hang out for a year in the Maddox mansion, and it’s pretty much (totally, absolutely) against her will. Handsome Gideon Maddox harbors secrets and a vendetta that makes living with him in his creepy, haunted house less than fun. However many struggles Raven will face this year, the one thing she can’t complain about is the food. And few things comfort like good ‘ole, down-home comfort food. A late night trip to the kitchen to sneak a treat is just what the doctor ordered for our heroine—or so she thinks. I’ll let you read to find out what happens. And whether or not she gets those yummy cookies she was after.

Gothic Mansion PB & Chocolate Chip Cookies

-1 cup sweet unsalted butter, at room temperature

-1 cup sweet creamy peanut butter (do not use reduced fat versions - I use Jiff or Peter Pan brands)

-1 cup granulated sugar

-1 cup brown sugar or 1 cup light muscovado sugar, packed

-2 large eggs

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Have ready at least 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Cream butter until smooth.

Add peanut butter and both sugars and beat until combined well.

Add egg and beat well.

Stir in flour and baking soda gradually until well combined.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Using a spoon, scoop out small portions of dough and drop onto parchment lined cookie sheets, leaving 2" gap between each cookie.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until cookies are just firm around the edges—don't over bake—if you wait until they are brown on top, they will be too hard!

Slide parchment sheet, cookies and all, carefully off pan and onto your counter, set a new piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet and repeat until all dough is baked.

Meanwhile, as the next batch bakes, remove baked cookies from the parchment and let cool completely on wire racks.

Giveaway

Readers, what's your favorite comfort food? Leave a comment below to be entered to win one of three e-copies of THE ARTISANS!

About THE ARTISANS

In this dark southern gothic novel, a young woman meets a man who may be more than he seems.

After the death of her mother, 17- year-old Rave Weathersby gives up her dream of becoming a fashion designer, barely surviving life in the South Carolina lowlands. To make ends meet, Raven works after school as a seamstress creating stunning works of fashion that often rival the great names of the day. Instead of making things easier on the high school senior, her stepdad’s drinking leads to a run in with the highly reclusive heir to the Maddox family fortune, Gideon Maddox. But Raven’s stepdad is drying out and in no condition to attend the meeting with Maddox. So Raven volunteers to take his place and offers to repay the debt in order to keep the only father she’s ever known out of jail.

Gideon Maddox agrees, outlining an outrageous demand: Raven must live in his home for a year while she designs for Maddox Industries’ clothing line, signing over her creative rights. Her handsome young captor is arrogant and infuriating to the nth degree, and Raven can’t imagine working for him, let alone sharing the same space for more than five minutes. But nothing is ever as it seems.

Is Gideon Maddox the monster the world believes him to be? And can he stand to let the young seamstress see him as he really is?

"THE ARTISANS by Julie Reece is a captivating tale of dark magic, love and redemption."~Fresh Fiction Reviewer Linda Green. Read the full review here.

About Julie Reece

Julie Reece writes YA stories. Many inspired by life in the southeastern states where she grew up. She's passionate about family, friends, animals, underdogs, and writing, but bubble baths and dark chocolate make the list, too.

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