Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

It can be dangerous to write cozy high fantasy books with a culinary twist.

As an author, you spend your time describing sweet, wonderful desserts. While you’re writing, you get hungry. And your mouth is watering for all those lucious treats. You must contend with the lurking menaces of unwanted weight gain and consumption of way too much sugar.

But there is another danger I recently discovered. It happens when you try to test out those fantastical foods by cooking them in the real world.

John and I just completed the final draft of the prequel novella to the Post Host series: Coins for the Counter. In the story, Doubleberry Delights — cookies made with blueberries and sweetened cranberries — figure prominently. After writing about the cookies for all that time, I really wanted to taste one.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I concocted a clever plan. I would create a recipe and make my very own Doubleberry Delights. After all, who better to cook the first batch than the person who imagined them? I knew the way they were supposed to look and how they should taste. What could go wrong?

Ahem…well…yes. First problem: we were out of eggs. It was already evening and I didn’t feel like driving to the store. So I tried an egg substitute that I had occasionally used in prior recipes.

Second problem: I’m not really a cook. I’m pretty good at following recipes or putting a minor tweak in someone else’s recipe. But designing a recipe was an entirely new experience for me.

The end result: The cookies I made looked nothing like what I had imagined.

When John and I wrote the novella, I envisioned perfectly circular cookies with blue and red berries giving them a colorful, festive appearance.

That’s not what came out of the oven. You can see the results of my efforts in the photo above. My poor, sad little cookies looked nothing like the glorious treats from the story. The blueberries melted and the craisins disappeared entirely. The final shape only vaguely resembled a circle.

But in one respect my efforts were worth it. At least the cookies tasted good.

Sometimes writers of culinary cozy fiction will share their recipes with their readers. I’m not sure the world is ready for my recipes yet. lol!

But, recipes aside, Coins for the Counter should be published by the end of this month. John and I hope you will enjoy reading it!

-Susan 3/7/2025