A long time ago, someone told me I should never write a scene where my hero and heroine share a meal. I promptly ignored that advice. Every book I’ve ever written has at least one scene where food is either being consumed or made. In fact, in A DUKE FOR DESSERT my heroine, Annie Lukin, is a Michelin starred chef. The hero loves her food as much as he loves her…well, that’s an exaggeration. 

Here’s a simple recipe for mandelbrot. No, it doesn’t come from Annie. It comes from my recipe box. The word, mandelbrot, comes from the German and means almond cookie or biscuit. The Italian biscotti is its near cousin.
I haven’t included mandelbrot in a book, yet. But that doesn’t mean I won’t. In the meantime, I thought I’d share the recipe with you as it’s a favorite of my family and friends. This is a delicious treat, a little crumbly, sweet, but not-too-sweet, perfect for an afternoon coffee or tea and very simple to make! 

And, as I’m always open for new recipes…yes, I love to bake, but now, since COVID I’m doing a lot of cooking, too…if you’ve got a recipe you particularly like and want to share, please send it to me, miriam@miriamallenson.com. 

MANDELBROT
Pre-heat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center of the oven.

• 3 1/4 C. flour
• 2 tsp baking powder (level)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 C. sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. orange juice
• 1 C. walnuts or almonds, chopped
• 1 C. oil (a neutral oil)
• Cinnamon for dusting

Combine the flour and baking powder. Wisk the sugar into the beaten eggs, and then add the vanilla, maple syrup, lemon and orange juices, and the oil. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix. Add the nuts and mix until combined. 

Form football-shaped loaves and place on cookie sheet. Dust the top of each loaf with cinnamon. This recipe should make six loaves. Bake three loaves on each cookie sheet for approximately 28 minutes. Remove from oven when loaves are dry. Remove to a flat platter or board. Once the loaves have cooled, slice each, approximately one inch thick. Place slices on a pan in a toaster oven or back in the oven and toast seven minutes or until brown on both sides. 

Enjoy!

Oh, and by the way, just a little heads-up. My next book in the Billionaire Dukes series is out this winter. It’s called WHEN THE DUKE FINDS HIS HEART and I’ll let you know when it’s available.

Keep safe! Keep on reading!