I inherited a sweet tooth from my father. He loved desserts and somehow even managed to stay trim all his life. Good DNA, I guess. Fortunately for Dad and me, my mom was a great cook and an incredible baker. She never made anything from a package or a mix. She made it all from scratch – cakes, pies, cookies, whatever.

I still have the Fannie Farmer cookbook she loved to use, fourth edition, copyright 1965. The cover is mottled with stains and has separated from the spine. The pages have yellowed. Still, it’s my favorite cookbook. Every time I use it, I think of Mom.

Maybe it’s not surprising that sweets are an element in each of my novels. In The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café, blueberry muffins are important. In The Rules of Love & Grammar, apple pies play a big role.

In my novel, The Wedding Thief, the Rolling Pin bakery is known for its orange chocolate chunk cookies. Orange zest, orange extract, and three kinds of chocolate make these cookies really special. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp orange zest
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp orange extract
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
4 oz milk chocolate, chopped into chunks
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into chunks