Wattpad has posted a MULTIMEDIA CHALLENGE to add a recipe to your book by May 1st. I thought, sure, why not. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
The Story Behind the STOMPIN' GROUND Cookie:
Anyway, when I was writing chapter six, I was eating a delicious Star Anise oatmeal cookie as I wrote the cafe scene with Kellan and Wren. You might recall Wren's favorite type of cookie was oatmeal. But what you wouldn't know was that the cookie she raved about in the cafe was a cookie that we bake in our house all the time. Probably because it's without a doubt my all-time favorite cookie. So much so, that when I make this cookie, I bake at least three batches of them at a time and freeze some, so we don't run out.
PLEASE NOTE: The recipe below is an adaption of a recipe that I found online. The original recipe can be found on this site: http://dishingupthedirt.com/recipes/breakfast/cranberry-oatmeal-star-anise-cookies/. I give FULL credit to Andrea Bemis for the original recipe. My modified version of the original cookie recipe is below for you to try at home.
What makes this cookie AMAZING?
For one, this is a NO EGG and DAIRY FREE recipe! (That is if you use dairy free chocolate chips.) Oh, without any eggs in the batter, feel free to taste test it too. Yum! The recipe also calls for an unusual ingredient (at least it is in North America): Star Anise. This spice gives the cookie its unique, amazing flavor.
Most people I know haven't cooked or baked with Star Anise before. So here are a couple of tips:
1. You'll find Star Anise in specialty cooking shop. Worth the hunt to find it. It looks like the picture on the recipe card below, kind of star-shaped.
2. You'll need to grind the spice into a fine powder. A coffee grinder or pestle and mortar will both work great for grinding it up. (Both pictures below are of the spice in the process of being ground, but not in its final fine powder form.)
3. If there are any tiny pieces, you can't grind into a fine powder (should look like ground cinnamon), pick them out before adding them it to the batter.
THE RECIPE DETAILS:
I'd love to hear from readers that give the recipe a try. Please post a comment below if you do and let me know what you think. The cookie has a more grown-up flavor to it. (My daughter isn't a fan, but my son who's seven, sneaks into the cookie jar for these everytime I make them.)