Shannon R. Brown

Ever have your day planned out and then unexpected things happen? Yeah, me too. And today was one of those days for me. Thankfully my day was filled with pleasant surprises, including a visit from a friend I rarely see, but even so it threw me off a little bit and put me behind schedule. Even good things can leave us with derailed plans.

Our desires and reality are often at war with each other. In today’s busy world it’s easy to become mired in the disappointment of unrealized desires. Sadly, we often allow something as simple as failing to check off items from our To Do List to ruin our day. I know I’m guilty of that at times. Just ask my husband what I’m like to live with when I haven’t gotten my chores done.

The truth is, it is up to us to decide how we handle reality when it so rudely interrupts our life. We can choose to be angry and stay mad at the world, eventually dragging ourselves into a deep depression, or we can choose to put a positive spin on it. After all, I could very easily be upset that I’m just now sitting down to write, but in reality, I’m still getting a post up today. It’s just a little different than the one I had intended.

While I may have a good attitude today, I know that the next time I have a day like this, I may not be so happy about it. One sure fire way I’ve found to combat an impending foul mood is for me to bake a batch of cookies. And one of my favorite recipes is aptly named Reality Cookies.

The original recipe for these cookies comes from a restaurant that used to be in Juneau, Alaska called The Fiddlehead. Because I’m rarely good at following directions I have made some alterations to their original recipe, but I love the name, and I loved the restaurant, so I kept it.

The Fiddlehead focused on providing healthy, whole foods. They were known for using whole grain flour, few preservatives and low-fat ingredients. The Fiddlehead was as crunchy granola as they come. Even most of their baked goods fell on the healthy end of the culinary spectrum. Now there’s no good argument against a healthy diet, but sometimes you just want to indulge in a sweet treat. And even the bakers at The Fiddlehead knew that:

“In spite of our best intentions, the fact remains that granulated sugar and white flour make really good cookies. These celebrate that reality with brightly colored candies sprinkled like confetti through the dough.” – The Fiddlehead Cookbook pg. 167

The next time you feel like reality is only out to get you I hope you think about these cookies and it reminds you that reality can be delicious. Even better, take an hour and bake a batch of these for yourself and to share. That way you not only sweeten your reality, but you bring joy to someone else.

Reality Cookies

3/4 pound butter                                                   1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar            1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar           1 cup finely ground almonds                                      2 ½ cups unbleached white flour                      1/2 cup M&Ms

1. Preheat oven to 275 and arrange racks so thy are evenly spaced in center of oven.
2. Beat butter until fluffy. Add white and brown sugars and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add almonds and flour. Stir gently until almost completely combined.
4. Add M&Ms and stir just until dough comes together.
5. Shape dough into ping-pong size balls and place on cookie sheet. Lightly flour bottom of a small glass, or palm of your hand and flatten each cookie to about ½ inch thick. Place an M&M in center of each cookie and bake until very lightly golden brown and beginning to puff slightly in center (about 20 minutes).
6. Remove from oven and transfer to racks to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Makes about 32 cookies

*I modify this recipe by using almond M&Ms instead of the regular ones.

*For an even chocolatier version, use ground almond M&Ms in place of the ground almonds. You won’t regret it.