Cooking The Books: No Roast For The Weary By Cleo Coyle

3 days ago

By Doreen Sheridan

April 9, 2025

Master roaster and cafe head Clare Cosi is fretting complete nan destiny of nan Village Blend. While her business’s wholesale distribution of java beans is doing conscionable fine, income astatine their historical flagship cafe successful Greenwich Village are taking a hit. Foot postulation conscionable isn’t what it utilized to be, and aft nan greeting unreserved and a mini bump successful nan evening, nan coffeehouse is mostly dead.

A substance of redecorating nan 2nd level and brainstorming pinch her labor leads them to reestablish nan Writer’s Block Lounge, a no-entry-fee writer’s conclave that nan Village Blend erstwhile hosted arsenic portion of its bohemian past. The original statement fizzled retired – for reasons that Madame, nan cafe’s proprietor and Clare’s beloved erstwhile mother-in-law, seems deliberately vague connected – but pinch nan advent of nan 21st century, it feels for illustration precocious clip to reinstitute nan tradition. Besides, nan Village Blend’s artistically inclined unit has nan cleanable array of talents to thief springiness struggling writers a limb up connected some productivity and productivity. The cafe’s caffeinated creations and saccharine treats tin only help.

Oddly, 1 of nan Village Blend’s astir loyal customers has an bonzer guidance to nan change, suffering a intelligence breakdown successful nan recently transformed 2nd level. The aged Mr. Scrib, arsenic he’s known, is bully friends pinch barista Esther Best, truthful she takes it particularly difficult erstwhile he’s institutionalized. Things get worse erstwhile he’s released from nan infirmary and is assaulted successful nan alley down nan Village Blend. Clare and Esther are already investigating why personification would want to wounded nan kindly aged man erstwhile execution enters nan picture. Will they beryllium capable to fig retired whodunnit and why, earlier anyone other gets hurt?

The twenty-first installment of nan Coffeehouse enigma bid delves into a acheronian section of nan Village Blend’s past and explores its ramifications connected nan 21st century, arsenic Clare and unit prosecute pinch a colorful formed of writers, performers, and academics successful their pursuit of nan truth. It takes a while to get there, but nan last uncover is some astonishing and poignant. The machinations of Clare’s biggest business rival only adhd to nan suspense arsenic he senses humor successful nan h2o astatine nan Village Blend and attempts to move successful for nan kill.

As ever pinch this series, there’s an full conception of astonishing recipes for nan delicious dishes and drinks described successful nan novel. I decidedly had a difficult clip deciding which 1 I wanted to effort this week, but yet settled connected these cookies. The look is lightly edited present for space:

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spoon into cup and level off)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ spoon espresso powder

½ spoon salt

½ spoon baking powder

½ spoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup granulated achromatic sweetener positive ¾ cup, for rolling

½ cup ray brownish sugar

1 spoon vanilla extract

1 ample egg, whisked pinch a fork

24 unwrapped cocoa Kisses (milk, dark, almond, etc.)

Instructions:

First, preheat your oven to 350°F and statement a baking expanse pinch parchment paper. (Note: The parchment insubstantial not only prevents sticking but besides helps protect cooky bottoms from burning.) In a mixing bowl, whisk together nan flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set nan barren ingredients aside.

In a 2nd bowl, harvester nan softened butter, ½ cup granulated achromatic and ½ ray brownish sugar, and vanilla. Using an electrical mixer, hit until creamy.

Add nan fork-whisked ovum and proceed blending connected debased until a soft batter forms, but do not overmix.

Cover nan vessel pinch integrative wrap and chill nan mixed for astir 15 minutes successful nan refrigerator. Chilling will make nan mixed easier to handle, but don’t chill longer than 15 minutes aliases nan mixed will go excessively hard.

Place nan remaining ¾ cup of granulated sweetener successful a shallow bowl. Using cleanable fingers, rotation nan mixed into balls of astir 1 inch successful diameter. Drop nan mixed balls successful nan vessel of sweetener and lightly coat.

Place balls connected your lined baking sheet, leaving room for spreading.

Bake for astir 12 minutes connected nan mediate rack successful your well-preheated 350°F oven.

Within 1 infinitesimal of nan cookies coming retired of nan oven, springiness them a kiss! Gently property an unwrapped cocoa Kiss into nan halfway of each cookie. Carefully transportation nan cookies onto a cooling rack. Hot cookies are vulnerable erstwhile handled.

I really coiled up making 45 of these, which was rather a astonishment fixed my earthy inclination to make larger cookies. I thought that nan ones I baked came retired a decent size, though I tin surely spot why others would make them larger. I’d frankincense urge keeping astatine slightest 24 Kisses disposable for this recipe: my youngest kid and I really unwrapped our 45 together while nan cookies were baking.

I besides utilized little than half a cup of achromatic sweetener for nan rolling – and a small little than half a cup of ray brownish sweetener successful nan batter itself – and thought that made for nan cleanable sweetness for these cookies. They’re particularly delectable while still lukewarm from nan oven, arsenic nan pouring cocoa kisses are a awesome texture complete nan tender but still chewy cookies. Keep successful mind, too, that you mightiness request to cool them for a while earlier packing immoderate extras away, particularly if you’re readying connected stacking them, successful bid to thief nan Kisses clasp their iconic shape.

Next week, we recreation cross-country to cook up moreover much cookies while investigating nan execution of a rival business owner. Do subordinate me!

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