Annie Nicholas writes paranormal and science fiction romance.
Read about her hot vampire thrillers, werewolf romantic stories, alpha shifter and sexy alien romance.
I love the Holidays. I love preparing for them and I love enjoying them with family, friends, and co-workers. As my kids age I try to create new traditions for them to carry to their future family. This year we are starting with going out to nice dinner on Christmas Eve just the four of us and then tomorrow will be an all day PJ party.
As a writer I started the tradition a few years ago of having the Boys of Christmas visit my blog and I haven't forgotten.
In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads: Place 3 ounces (90 grams) of the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until it has completely melted and is smooth and glossy. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.
Shortbread cookies with keep in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.
Makes about 20 shortbread cookies.
Here's the video with more detailed intructions from Joy of Baking.
I chose it over a Kindle ages ago because I wanted to be able to hold one in my hand before purchasing it. This was before Kindles were being sold in stores. I love my e-reader but there are not many website dedicated to Nook readers like there are to Kindle users. Until now...
Welcome to the Jingle Bell Hop! If you arrived here by accident or have fallen off the bus click this link to get back on. There are lots of giveaways with a grand prize of a Kindle Fire! Some of us are going the twelve days of Christmas and, as you can see, I'm doing the Six Men A Working.
Nothing is sexier than a man at work. I also have a present for everyone this year!
Lifeguard
Construction
Cowboy after a long day.
Do-it-yourselfer
Fire Fighter
Gardener
Now, for the present. I'm giving away free downloads of my full length novel Bait.