Hope on the Inside has all the elements of a quintessential book club book. The quickly paced plot, the strong themes of creativity and sisterhood, the surprises, the lovable characters, the tear-jerking moments—and did I mention the food?
Grab your best gal pals, your latest quilting or crafting project, and cook the books with recipes inspired by Hope on the Inside. You won’t have to dig very deep into the book to find out about the husband with an affinity for baking! Plus, don’t forget the discussion questions at the very end of the book if you need a little help getting started.
But throwing the perfect book club party can be a little daunting! “What should I cook? What music should I play? What wine should I serve? What thought-provoking questions should I throw out to the group?”
If you’ve been debating about your next book club book and have made the (obviously very smart) choice to read Hope on the Inside, I’m going to make your life very easy when it comes to prepping for your book club party.
How, you ask? I made a Hope on the Inside party kit just for the occasion!
To give you a taste, I’m sharing one of the recipes included in my kit here, but there’s much, much more where that comes from. Visit my blog at this link to download the full kit: fiercebeyond50.com/book-club-party-kit-for-hope.
Happy baking and reading, dear friends!
Other fun links:
A free companion quilt pattern for Hope on the Inside
Free printable color-it-yourself stationery inspired by the book
The full book club party kit for your Hope on the Inside get-together.
- 2 cups raw sliced almonds
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1½ cups packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- Maldon salt for finishing
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Spread the sliced almonds on a sheet pan. Roast for 6 minutes or until lightly toasted, tossing once during that time to avoid over-browning. Watch them like a hawk. Set aside and allow to cool.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional minute.
- While the stand mixer is running, whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then slowly add to the bowl of the stand mixer until just combined. Stir in 1½ cups of the almonds and save the other ½ cup for topping the cookies.
- Form cookie dough balls and gently press in the toasted almonds. Set on a sheet pan, loosely cover and freeze for at least one hour. Freezing is my best secret for perfectly thick, moist cookies. It also saves me from eating the whole batch in one sitting. If you are saving for another day, drop the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer bag.
- When ready to cook, set the temperature to 375°F and line the sheet pan with parchment paper. Since I make my cookies on the larger side, mine baked for about 17 minutes. In the last minute of baking, use a spatula to slightly flatten the cookies. Then sprinkle with Maldon salt. Trust me on this step.
Book Title: Hope on the Inside
Author: Marie Bostwick
Group Discussion Questions
Recipe: The Best Oatmeal Cookies with Toasted Almonds