So all this week I’ve been doing edits on book 3 in the MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN series, BAKED WITH LOVE. In the book there are several references to Maureen O’Dowd’s Insomnia cookies – the ones she bakes at 2 am when she can’t sleep. I figured it would be a good idea to share that recipe with cookie lovers to whet your romance reading appetite for the book which I’m hoping will be released this year.
Here’s a quick tease/reference to the cookies from the book, followed by the cookies themselves. And just incase you don’t think I really bake in real life, I’ve included a few photos from a batch of insomnia cookies I made on Tuesday when I was home cooking for my parents.
Enjoy!
When I pulled into the inn, I spotted a familiar car in one of the private spaces I kept for family. The sound of laughter rang out from my kitchen.
“How come I didn’t know we were having a party?” I said when I came into the room.
My sisters were sitting at my table, each with a cup in front of them, the tin of insomnia cookies opened and on the table between them. Robert was at the sink, washing dishes, as Sarah pulled something from the oven.
“Where have you been?” Cathy had one of Colleen’s swollen feet in her lap and was massaging it.
“I had an errand to run,” I said, sneaking a side-glance at Robert’s back. “Why are you two here?”
“I wanted to check to see if everything was set for Friday’s event,” Colleen said.
“You couldn’t just call? Or send Charity? Slade specifically said he doesn’t want you driving alone at this phase.”
“He’s not the boss of me.” She pouted then reached in to the jar and brought out two more cookies. “He’s treating me like I’m the first woman ever to have a baby. I’m pregnant, not infirm or useless. And I’ve got a business to run.”
“He’s worried about you, sis. This is your first baby. His too. He gets to be overprotective if he wants.”
“Says who? I’m the one carrying around a basketball the size of Montana in my body, not him.”
“It says so in the marriage rules,” I told her. “First-time fathers are allowed to be a little overbearing and overprotective of their pregnant spouses.”
The pout morphed to a tiny grin. “I must have missed that chapter.”
“Most likely wasn’t listed in your Cliff Notes edition.”
“Must be. Besides, Cathy drove. I merely thumbed a ride and rode shotgun when she said she was headed here.”
I drew my attention to my oldest sister, lifted my eyebrows, and tilted my head.
“Any reason in particular? Or where you just craving cookies?” I asked when she pulled a handful from the jar as Colleen had and put them on her plate.
“Don’t chide me. I’m stress-eating,” she mumbled around the cookie. “There are a million details running through my brain, and I’m petrified I’m gonna forget something. Between work, this wedding, and getting everything settled for the two weeks we’ll be gone, I’m going crazy. I don’t remember being so stressed and nervous the first time I got married,” she added after swallowing.
Maureen’s Insomnia Sugar Cookies
Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into squares
1 cup + 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup white granulated sugar (for rolling)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and both sugars together in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy.
Add the egg and mix until well combined.
Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients 1 cup at a time and mix until the dough is well formed. Do not overmix.
Using a tablespoon-sized scoop, scoop cookie dough into individual pieces. Gently roll each into a ball with your hands, then roll each ball in white sugar to coat.
Put the balls on the baking sheet 2 inches apart. Cookies will spread once they heat, and you want them to have room to do so without touching one another.
Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes, but do not overbake. Remove just before the edges begin to turn golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a baking rack for at least 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
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