It is still unclear to me whether it’s nature or nurture, but, either way, I love to bake.
The argument to be made for nature is clear. I did, after all, choose to spend my college career studying chemistry, a science in which you mix things together in precise quantities and in a very specific order, aiming for consistency of results.
The nurture side of the equation also has some logic to it. I have fragrant memories of watching my mom bake cookies, scones, biscotti, cakes, and muffins over the course of my eighteen years at home – maybe years of baking osmosis (get it? once a chemist always a chemist) is finally sinking in.
I have grown to enjoy baking complicated, decadent, multi-step desserts that only show themselves on special occasions. These take a lot of work, though, so on every other day of the year, I stick to my mom’s repertoire of tried and true favorites. Along with sticky lemon squares, buttery cappuccino bars, and my favorite raspberry muffins, my strongest memory from her line up is the chocolate chip cookie I’m writing about today.
palate gal 