#MFRWhooks #ValentinesDay Recipe and Excerpt

Valentine's Day is one week away! And since it's traditionally a day for giving sweets to your sweetheart, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes. Not only are these brownies fudgy and delicious, they're so easy to make and have minimal cleanup because you're only using one pot. Here's the recipe!

One Pot Fudgy Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 oz. (84 g) unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened  cocoa powder (the recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but I used regular no-name and it was just fine)

2 1/2 cups (500 g) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. (3g) kosher or coarse salt

1 tbsp. (15 ml) pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (192 g) all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously butter a 13 by 9 inch baking pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the butter and the chocolate in a medium to large-size saucepan over low heat and let melt together, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove the saucepan the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, sugar and salt, then blend in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring to mix quickly so they don't have a chance to cook at all before they are blended in. Blend in the flour.

Scrape the thick batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake until the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 25 or 30 minutes. They may seem slightly underbaked in the middle, but trust me, that's what gives them a moist and fudgy texture. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting. 

If you like, you can serve these with ice cream or whipped cream and fruit, like blueberries or sliced strawberries. Personally, I enjoy them just as they are. No embellishments required!

And speaking of Valentine's Day, here's a blurb and excerpt from my Valentine's Day story, CHILL OUT!

Renata Cabral needs to hide for the weekend. Her cousin’s Valentine’s Day wedding means she’ll face embarrassing questions from her large, extended family. Questions like “Why aren’t you married yet?”  Since the breakup of her last relationship, she’s not ready to answer that question. She invents a work-related excuse and escapes to a friend’s lakeside cottage.

Noah Brownlee has been hiding for two years. But now he’s ready to come home and mend his broken relationship with his brother. When a friend offers the use of his lakeside cottage, Noah arrives in the middle of a blizzard with his English Mastiff, only to find the place is already occupied. With her big brown eyes and quirky sense of humor, Renata stirs feelings he thought long dead.

As the blizzard rages, the candy hearts predict love. Can Valentine’s Day work its magic between them?

Excerpt:
“Dylan wasn’t just my brother, he was my best friend, and in some ways, he was like a father. When our mother died, he petitioned the court to make him my legal guardian so I wouldn’t have to go into care. He made sure I studied, pushed me to apply to med school, helped me with expenses.”

“He sounds like a wonderful big brother.”

His lips curved in a sad smile and Renata’s heart ached for him. “He was, and I know he’s going to be an amazing father. I want this animosity between us to end. I want my brother back.” His voice cracked. “But I’m not sure he feels the same way. I said some ugly things…”

“Perhaps, with the baby coming, he wants to mend the rift between you as much as you do.” She hoped she was right.

“Maybe. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’m going to phone Dylan and try to arrange a meeting.”

“It’ll work out. You’ll see.”

He leaned toward her, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his smile. “I appreciate the pep rally.”

“Well, I was a cheerleader in high school. Rah, Rah.”

He laughed softly, then cupped her face with his hand, his thumb idly stroking her cheek. Her breath hitched at his tender touch. “Thank you for making this easier for me, Renata.”

He leaned in and her heart pounded in anticipation of his kiss. When his lips touched hers, a firestorm of longing ignited inside her. She strained toward him, needing his kiss, needing to heal his pain. His lips parted against hers, and she opened her mouth eagerly, reveling in his taste as his tongue danced with hers. The world faded away, and nothing existed for her except this man and all the tenderness she felt for him. It felt so right to kiss him, so perfectly, completely right.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/Chill-Out 

Check out other posts in this week's blog hop: