Wednesday, December 9, 2015

#AFTH2015 w/ Jessica Lemmon--Devil Dog Cupcakes (omg yall!)

Woots and Squees! Jessica Lemmon is our guest today. She writes the best bad boys and billionaires and noms they're all so good! The romances are all so damn swoon-worthy and the heroines lovely.

She's got a very special place in my blogger girl heart because she's actually the first author with a big publishing house who's book I was quoted in. How freaking cool is that??

Anywhos. I'm passing things on to Jessica now. She's bringing some serious yums to the blog today.Yall give her a nice warm welcome and leave her some comment love! ~anna



Happy Holidays, readers! I’m so excited Anna asked me here today to share a deliciously perfect recipe for celebrating…well, anything. I mean, when isn’t chocolate a good idea, amIrite?

The heroines in my Second Chance series have a lot of Girls’ Nights Out, and at those nights? Always the Devil Dog. When it came time to put a recipe in the back of A Bad Boy for Christmas, I couldn’t resist including a Devil Dog recipe…but “real” chocolate-dipped Devil Dog cakes are a bit complicated. (There is layering and chocolate dipping and letting it dry…) I deconstructed those fancy cakes into a simpler form with a twist: red wine in the chocolate sauce!

If you’ve ever wanted to impress your friends, this is the dessert that will put hearts in their eyes. And, bonus, this recipe is egg and dairy-free (also known as vegan!) but I promise, you can’t tell. They make the perfect take-along to any group event.




Devil Dog Cupcakes

Makes 12-14

Cupcakes

1 ½ c. flour
1 c. sugar
½ c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ c. coconut oil (melted)
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 can coconut milk

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350ยบ. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, soda, and salt into a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine oil, vinegar, vanilla, and coconut milk.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
  5. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full. If you have leftover batter, line a few cups in another tin, or just eat the batter. (That’s what I did.)
  6. Bake 16-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry.
Vanilla Frosting

1 c. non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
3 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3-5 Tbsp. non-dairy milk

Directions:
  1. Using beaters or a stand mixer, beat vegetable shortening, adding powdered sugar a cup at a time. When mixture becomes dry, add non-dairy milk a Tablespoon at a time.
  2. Continue adding sugar until all three cups have been added. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
  3. Spoon frosting into a large plastic bag (or a frosting bag), twist and cut the corner off. Set aside.
Chocolate Wine Sauce

¼ cup non-dairy creamer (or milk)
¼ cup red wine
1 cup chocolate chips

(I couldn’t resist adding wine to the chocolate sauce. I mean, this recipe is in honor of Faith, after all! If you don’t want the wine, simply swap out for extra creamer. Leftover chocolate sauce will solidify in the fridge, but will melt in a few seconds in the microwave.)
  1. Warm the creamer or milk over the stove until simmering (but not boiling) and add to a bowl.
  2. Stir in chocolate chips to melt (it takes time, so be patient), while warming the wine on the stove to simmering. Once wine is warmed, add to the chocolate mixture.
  3. Continue stirring until smooth. If the chips are not melting, pop bowl into the microwave for 15 seconds and stir. Repeat if necessary until sauce is smooth and glossy.
To assemble:
  1. Once cupcakes are cooled completely (good luck—I ate one warm), unwrap from cupcake liner and put on a plate.
  2. Pipe a generous mountain of frosting on the top, then spoon on the chocolate sauce. Top with a tiny bit of frosting and a maraschino cherry.
  3. Enjoy with a fork and a smile… preferably at your next Girls’ Night Out.


A big-hearted alpha. A reluctant heroine. A snowed-in-Christmas love story. 
#CupcakesIncluded

Connor McClain knows what he wants. And after four harrowing years in Afghanistan, that's a quiet life in the lakeside town of Evergreen Cove. But coming home has land mines of its own-the most dangerous of them being long-legged bombshell Faith Garrett. Now getting her into his arms this holiday is going to require more than mistletoe . . .

With a cheating ex behind her, all Faith wants is a relaxing holiday free from man drama. And even though every moment with gorgeous Connor is a sweet temptation, Faith is determined not to give in. But Jack Frost has other plans, and soon Faith and Connor are snowbound in a winter wonderland with only the sparks flying between them to keep them warm. As one hot kiss leads to another, they'll have to decide if they're ready to give each other the best gift of all-love.

Amazon | All Romance | Book Depository | BAM | Goodreads


A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads On herding cats

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