After getting an electric mixer for an early Christmas present, I realized the cookies I made with only a fork and a bowl the other day may be my last batch of completely Zen Cookies. Meaning, my last batch of cookies made entirely by hand, with nothing electric (ok, except the oven).
On second thought though, molding each peanut butter cookie into a perfect sphere, then stamping them with the back of a fork, and cutting an entire cup of dried cherries in half, was actually a really good time. Nothing compares to the joy of perfectly shaped cookies and feeling the ingredients come together between your fingers. What I'd previously loathed about baking was feeling rushed, trying to stamp out three dozen cookies in an hour is miserable for anyone. Since I had all day to play with cookie dough it became a very pleasant, relaxing task. No wonder I'd loved baking so much in childhood, there's no concept of time when you're eight.
May your Christmas cookies be enlightened.
"When you can do nothing, what can you do?" Zen Koan
Mister Eckhart says "Stress arises when we want the end result more than the present moment." I find myself learning that lesson again and again in the kitchen, because rushing is the enemy of quality in food.
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