Last year was a rough one, but there were some silver linings, and one of them happened in the kitchen with the home baking craze. Photographs of homemade cookies, breads, pies, and cakes suddenly graced social media pages everywhere as people in lockdown learned new skills while putting their stand mixers to good use. (The resulting “Quarantine Fifteen” that some of us picked up may not technically be considered a silver lining, but that’s a blog for another day.)
(Pixabay / HelenJank)
It could have been the sudden prevalence of baking competition shows on streaming services or just that no commute meant more time in the kitchen, but we’d like to think that people were discovering something that we’ve known along—that fresh baked cookies really can make the world a brighter place. In fact, we have five reasons to back up our theory that cookies make everything better:
1. Take a Walk Down Memory Lane
Everyone’s family has a favorite cookie recipe, whether or not they baked or cooked often. Baking cookies in your home can help you remember your family and those cherished memories of sitting at the table with a glass of milk and the plate of cookies your grandma kept refilling. If your parents or grandparents aren’t with you anymore, making the family cookie recipe can make the bitter a little sweeter.
It might also remind you of when your kids were little, and you patiently (or not so patiently) taught them how to measure the right way, crack an egg so that the shell didn’t explode into the dough, not to stick their moist little hands in the sugar container and then lick off the granules, and to avoid eating raw cookie dough (even though you always swiped a spoonful when they weren’t looking). That phase of their lives passes so quickly, but remembering their chubby hands when you bake cookies for or with them as teenagers or adults can bring back happy memories.
2. Get Those Creative Juices Flowing
The creation process is nothing to be taken lightly – it has some serious mood-lifting capabilities, and you don’t even need to eat the cookies to reap the benefits (but come on, why wouldn’t you?). Creating something desirable from many individual products causes the brain to release dopamine – the feel-good hormone. When you’re completely focused on making something new, it’s easier to stay in the moment and stop anxious or spiraling thoughts. Baking is also somewhat of an exact science, so following the rules and having structure can help you regain feelings of control, which can help even out upset emotions.
3. Sugar, Sweet Sugar
This point is a little bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, consuming too much sugar can result in a sugar crash and a tummy ache. On the other hand, eating sugar triggers the release of dopamine, which can make you feel happier – even if it’s just a temporary feeling.
If you find yourself “stress eating” as a way to feel better, try other ways of managing stress while you’re baking up a batch. Some things you can do while you wait 12 minutes for the next batch to come out include:
- Yoga: Loosen up those stirring and whisking muscles with a quick yoga session in the kitchen. Several YouTube yoga instructors even have videos specifically for the kitchen! Yoga can help you feel relaxed and grounded and less likely to stuff the whole batch in your mouth before it has completely cooled.
- Guided Meditation: Guided meditation is an excellent way to bring your thoughts back to a healthy place so you don’t eat more cookies than you actually want to eat. They’re usually quick and only require your phone and earbuds, but they can leave you feeling satisfied and grounded.
- Read a Book: Reading a book has all kinds of health benefits, including transporting you from your world to another without the stress of actually traveling. A book takes up little to no space and can help alleviate anxiety that would cause you to inhale the entire batch.
By using those precious few minutes while the batches are baking to do a little bit of self-care, you are more likely to eat an appropriate amount of cookies while still reaping some other health benefits.
4. So Easy a Caveman Could Do It
There are endless cookie recipes out there of all different difficulties, so there is sure to be a recipe that fits your time allotment, baking skills, and space in your kitchen. Some cookies don’t require an oven at all, which works great for small apartments or dorm rooms that only have a hot plate. Other cookie recipes are quite elaborate but are guaranteed to deliver out-of-this-world cookies if you follow the recipe exactly. No matter how much time or skill—or how many special ingredients you have available for cookie-making—the reward will always be sweet.
5. Service Opportunity
Even if your New Year’s resolution is to eat a little less sugar, you can still make cookies for the therapeutic benefits and then give them away as an act of service. Service can lift the spirit and brighten the mood of both the giver and receiver, and who doesn’t love a plate full of homemade cookies?
If you can’t doorbell ditch a plate because you live too far away, you can have thank you, thinking of you, get well, housewarming, holiday or sympathy cookies delivered right to a loved one’s doorstep with the click of your mouse. Fresh cookie delivery is the next best thing to creaming the sugar and butter and rolling out the dough yourself.
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