Wondercrew Wednesday: Wild Fennel and Black Sesame Mice Cookies!

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Hoorday, it’s Wondercrew Wednesday!

I have to admit, I look forward to this day every week. :) It feels so wonderful to be able to share something special with the amazing Patrons that are supporting me. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without their generosity and kindness! Follow along here for inspiration, and you can find the recipe itself right here.

A dose of sweetness. The sugary sweetness of a fresh-baked cookie, all carbs and comfort. The herbal sweetness of wild fennel seeds soothing the stomach and freshening the breath. The emotional sweetness of picturing soft little critters perched delicately on tall stalks, gently nibbling away. All have the power to enchant us...

The latter has proven to be a particular kind of medicine for me, as pictures of little harvest mice nibbling at seeds or perching on mushrooms or sleeping in tulips almost never fails to bring a smile to my face. Where some see pests, I see adorable little whiskered faces (that do, admittedly, sometimes need relocating). Where some see a weed, I see a plant full of potential; for flavor, for medicine, for storing away and brightening winter days. 

When I think of mice, I think of toasted seeds and soft greys and a little hint of something a bit mysterious. Perhaps it’s because I like my sweetness with just a touch of bitter, a bite of dark chocolate or the chance to sink into a story that is not quite frightening, but carries a mysterious unease. Chocolate mice come to mind when I think of Erin Morgenstern’s masterpiece The Night Circus: 

“As he continues to walk around the circus, Bailey’s path leads back to the courtyard. He stops briefly to watch the sparkling bonfire and then at a vendor to purchase a bag of chocolates to make up for his mostly uneaten dinner. The chocolates are shaped like mice, with almond ears and licorice tails.” 

New to the magic of this eerie circus that appears overnight and is only open at nightfall, These odd confections no doubt set the introductory idea that Bailey has stumbled into a world far beyond his understanding. As the plot twists and dances, those chocolate mice become an emblem: it has started. There is no going back now. 

Perhaps it’s  because they burrow into the ground in tunnels that could visit the underworlds of multiple mythologies, or perhaps it’s because they help recycle death into new life again, but mice have long  been regarded as magical symbols that can traverse between the worlds of the living and the underworld(s), depending which ancient mythology you read. They play a similar pivotal role in Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece story of Coraline, where it is the mice from Mr. Bobinsky’s Jumping Mouse Circus that coax the main character Coraline into an alternate reality that appears charming at first glance but soon starts to unravel at the edges and reveal the shadows underneath it all. 

Are you ready to explore what dwells in the shadows, what can scamper to places you cannot? Are you ready for a hint of dark mystery with your sweetness? Oh, good. I thought you might be. 

Find the rest of this post and the Secret Recipe over on Patreon.com/thewondersmith!

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