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The Cupcake Diaries Series
Books 1-3
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In this
special Christmas novella from Darlene Panzera, THE CUPCAKE DIARIES: Spoonful
of Christmas continues the adventures of three cupcake-loving women who work to
keep their dream cupcake shop open while balancing love, family, and
friendship.
When
businessman Preston Pennyworth offers to buy Creative Cupcakes for a million
dollars, the women are startled by his offer. Friends Andi, Kim, and Rachel
have put everything into the shop and don’t want to give it up. Despite
refusing the expensive offer, their worries are starting to pile up—just in
time for the Christmas season. Between
Andi’s concerns about a potential cross-country move, Rachel’s wedding-day
stress, and Kim’s love life woes, the spirit of the season seems to be lacking!
With the added stress of the holiday season, the women can’t help but imaging
the possibilities of the offer.
Things change
when Andi decides to organize a Christmas party for the
foster kids in the area and the whole town gets involved. The women of Creative
Cupcakes are reminded of what truly matters, as they realize the best things in
life are close to home! But, when the shop is vandalized, the foster kids’
gifts are stolen, and Rachel’s wedding is sabotaged by a real life Grinch, the
women can’t help but feel hopeless on Christmas. Will their Christmases be saved?
In this
warm and heartfelt add-on to THE CUPCAKE DIARIES trilogy, Darlene Panzera’s
Christmas novella will captivate reader’s hearts and capture the true meaning
of Christmas.
~~~~~
This was the fourth installment in the series
The Cupcake Diaries. It held true to form as the previous three. A Sweet and
fuzzy romance, full of emotional pulls and comedy.
~Reviewed by Nikki
~~~~~
Wanda's
Easy Black Bean Brownie Cupcakes
from
Wanda DeGolier of Tacoma, Washington
(Vegan
and gluten free, but ignore that part or you won't even try them.)
1 ¾ cup of black beans (that's about
1 can, but I make them fresh)
1 banana
3 Tablespoons coconut oil (or
butter) melted
¾ cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cup of dry sweetener (your
choice, sugar, Splenda, Xylitol)
½ cup of flour (you can use rice
flour if you want gluten free)
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
Optional: walnuts
Preheat oven to 350
Mush all the above ingredients
together except the walnuts. I use an immersion blender. (Not sure if a mixer
would do it, but a regular blender would.)
You can add the walnuts now if you
want them throughout the brownies, or you can sprinkle them on top before
baking.
Put into an appropriate-sized pan
(8" x 8" or 9" round). The bigger the pan, the less cooking
time. Or pour into a cupcake tray. You can oil and flour the pan to prevent
sticking, but I've never had them stick. Bake for about 25 minutes. (Longer for
chewier brownies, less for gooier brownies/cupcakes).
That's it! Let them cool a bit and
enjoy!
~~~~~
Giveaway
~~~~~
About Darlene
Darlene
Panzera is the winner of the “Make Your Dreams Come True” contest sponsored by
Avon Books. The win led her novella, The Bet, to be published with Debbie
Macomber’s Family Affair. The award-winning novella (chosen in a blind-read by
Debbie Macomber) was then published as a full length novel retitled, Bet You’ll
Marry Me. Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene is now a resident of the
Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband and three children. When not
writing she enjoys spending time with her family, two horses, and loves:
camping, hiking, photography, and lazy days at the lake.
@DarlenePanzera
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