It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

This week's recipe is from

SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION

Book 1 in the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries

by Kim Davis

One glass of cheap California chardonnay cost Emory Gosser Martinez her husband, her job, and her best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of her troubles.

Distraught after discovering the betrayal by her husband and best friend, Tori, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez allows her temper to flare. Several people witness her very public altercation with her ex-friend. To make matters worse, Tori exacts her revenge by posting a fake photo of Emory in a compromising situation, which goes viral on social media. When Tori is found murdered, all signs point to Emory being the prime suspect.

With the police investigation focused on gathering evidence to convict her, Emory must prove her innocence while whipping up batches of cupcakes and buttercream. Delving into the past of her murdered ex-friend, she finds other people had reasons to want Tori dead, including Emory’s own husband. Can she find the killer, or will the clues sprinkled around the investigation point the police back to her?

Includes recipes!

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BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

all photos are courtesy of and property of Cinnamon & Sugar

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (divided)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups (12 ounces) butterscotch chips (divided)

Optional Topping:

1/2 cup choice of butterscotch, semi-sweet chocolate, or white chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine 1/2 cup (3 ounces) butterscotch chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 15 second increments, stirring each time, until melted. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream together the remaining butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar about 2 minutes.

4. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

5. Mix in the vanilla and the melted butterscotch mixture (be sure it’s only warm and not hot). 

6. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the butter and sugar mixture until incorporated.

7. Stir in the remaining butterscotch chips.

8. If time permits, refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. (If you refrigerate dough, don’t preheat oven until 20 minutes before baking cookies.)

9. Scoop by rounded tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets, keeping at least 3 inches between the cookies.

10. Bake for 10 – 13 minutes, just until the edges of the cookies begin to brown.


11. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Optional Topping:

12. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt you choice of chips in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each heat cycle until melted. Transfer to a piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe melted chips over the tops of cooled cookies. Allow 30 minutes for topping to harden before serving.

13. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Tip:
14. To freeze cookie dough, form dough into tablespoon-sized balls then roll in sugar. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer frozen cookie balls to a freezer-safe ziplock bag for storage. When ready to bake, remove the amount you’d like to bake and allow to come to room temperature while the oven preheats. Bake as directed above.

I can tell you, these are as delicious as they look!

I couldn’t wait to read this first cozy by author Kim Davis.  I have to say, it was worth the wait.

In SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION, the introduction to the series’ protagonist was a little different from most books in the cozy genre. She didn’t start off reading like a cozy lead. The first couple of chapters read more like chick lit, and indeed had me forgetting I was reading a mystery at all. But once the author delved into the story, it was back on track with a mystery that kept me guessing.

There was so much going on in this book. Every new chapter had my head spinning, and my fingers turning the pages faster and faster. And through it all I was rooting on series lead, Emory Martinez, and watching her morph into a more confident woman.

As for the murder, I had no idea who the killer was. There were plenty of suspects to choose from. The victim, Emory’s ex-best friend, really had a lot of people out to get her. Every time I was set on who the killer was, author Davis threw in another twist and led me in an entirely different direction.

A good first in a series, SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION was a story that had me so absorbed that I didn’t even realize the sun had gone down until I could no longer see the words. With a lamp flipped on, I finished this mystery to its satisfying conclusion, and am already anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

About K. A. Davis
Kim Davis lives in Southern California with her husband. When she's not spending time with her granddaughters she can be found either writing on her next book, or working on her blog, Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder, or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats to share.

She has published a cozy mystery, SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION, a suspense novel, A GAME OF DECEIT, and has had several children's articles published in Cricket, Nature Friend, Skipping Stones, and the Seed of Truth magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

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!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

1 lucky reader will win a print copy of 

SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

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Please keep reading to check out my 

installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

Both the BB and 56 are from

SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading.

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice

Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's okay.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. *Post it.

My Book Beginnings 

One glass of cheap California chardonnay cost me my husband, my job, and my best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of my troubles.

My 56

"OMG! How? Why? ...."

GOOD LUCK!

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