Why I love baking!!

The smell of cinnamon, apples and sugar . . . the first taste of a fresh chocolate chip cookie, soft and with the chocolate still warm . . . the beauty of a just frosted cake, just begging to have that first slice taken from it . . . and the stories that each of these tell.

This is why I love baking. The smells, tastes, and beauty of a truly wonderful baking creation are only part of baking. Because every baking recipe has a story, your story. That story is what makes that recipe uniquely yours. Many of my happiest childhood memories come from the kitchen. Baking and frosting Christmas cookies with my brothers and sisters (and eating just as much frosting as ever ended up on the cookies!). I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. All (five) of us sitting around the kitchen table with bowls of different colored frosting, sprinkles, red hots, chocolate chips, raisins, and anything else we thought might taste good on a cookie spread out everywhere. Angels, wreaths, reindeer, and Santa cookies were spread out on our plates as we battled for that perfect blend of frostings and toppings that would make our cookies look (and taste!) just right. My sister was the artistic one, always creating wonderfully detailed designs with the frosting that none of the rest of us could even dream of. My other sister was the oldest and she'd be trying to help mom wrangle all of us. My brothers would be shoving as many cookies in their mouths as possible whenever mom wasn't looking. We'd be covered in cookie crumbs, frosting, and sprinkles by the end of the night. Exhausted, happy, and truly together as a family. It is one of my fondest childhood memories and it is a baking tradition that I have kept in my own family.

Happy Baking!

Originally posted at: Your baking story