Magic in the Kitchen

I’ve always been a bit of a kitchen witch.

I love fiddling with beloved recipes, infusing them with spices (and magic!) whenever I have the chance to bake for a large crowd. Lately, though, I’ve let life get in the way of my baking passion, but today, I’m itching to get back to it.

There’s something meditative about kneading bread by hand, or stirring a batch of cookies, or even listening to the whir of my mixer as I toss in ingredients, letting my intuition guide me to the spice cupboard for various things to add (cinnamon is always a favorite, as I mentioned in my last post).

One reason I’ve talked myself out of baking lately is the fact that I’ve got very little willpower when it comes to sweets, and eating an entire batch of cookies on my own in two days isn’t the most healthy choice I could make. But since my fingers are itching for some mixing, I’m considering ways to make my tried and true recipes just a little bit healthier. I substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil (although I still use real butter when called for), I’ve explored cutting the sugar in a cookie recipe just a smidge, and I’ve completely switched to whole wheat flour rather than white or cake flour. Somewhere, I think I read that mashed black beans or avocado can be added to chocolate recipes to make them taste rich and decadent, but with health benefits, although I usually eat avocados by themselves before I can figure out which recipe to mix them into.

There’s magic to be found in conscious kitchen choices, but the best way I’ve found to combat my impulse to eat everything I bake is to take a plate of cookies to the neighbors, or bring a batch of brownies to a circle gathering (although I haven’t been to one of those in longer than I’ve baked…but that’s a post for another time). Sharing the magical alchemy of the fruits of the baking process is a wonderful way to forge connections and spread a little joy. (I wish we lived in an era and an area where my efforts wouldn’t be wasted or viewed with suspicion if I baked for the trick or treaters later this month…)

I think I’ve talked myself into it; time to experiment with one of my mom’s cookie recipes. With the crisp chill in the air, I’m thinking something with peanut butter, allspice, and, of course, cinnamon.

What kind of conjuring do you do in your kitchen?