Since starting high school, it’s been a whirlwind of homework and clubs every day of the week. Through this mess of events, one thing has kept me grounded and at least somewhat sane: baking a myriad of desserts. From grand cheesecakes to sour lemon tart, cooking up goodies for friends and family is amazing. Seeing others compliment the baked goods that I spent hours worrying over is an amazing feeling. 

I started baking during 7th grade when I took up cooking as my elective. We spent two months of class baking things. But, the first time I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies, I found joy in it. The things we made were delicious and extremely simple. I had somehow managed to convince my mom to let me buy ingredients for cinnamon rolls and biscuits. After the biscuits, it was a variety of sweets.

I suppose the reason I have such an emotional attachment to baking is because of my uncle from San Francisco. He is one of the few members of our family who can bake without burning the house down. So every Thanksgiving he would come to our house and make a New York Cheesecake. In 2017, I wrote down the cheesecake recipe and helped him make it. Since then, I have been placed in charge of baking our yearly Thanksgiving dessert. This year the somewhat unanimous vote is a lemon tart with meringue!

After learning the basics of baking, I started branching out to cream puffs and pies. Mostly my mom would throw recipes at me for ideas and sweets to make. Baking has also taught me to listen to others when I ask for suggestions. Because as much as I stubbornly believe my food is perfect, I know it’s not true. So I bite my tongue and listen to the suggestions I’m given. Baking has helped me gain a more positive attitude and mindset.

I’ve fallen deep into the baking rabbit hole. Now that I know I can make things that (usually) taste delicious, I won’t stop. I want to continue baking and seeing my friends and family smile because it’s become a hobby and more.