The Comfort of a Cookie

There is just something comforting about my mom's warm oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars. They were always a special treat when we were growing up. I found myself making them on my own after I moved away from home and wanted something familiar and cozy to ward off a little of the homesickness I was experiencing.

Come to think of it, there are a few important people in my life who make a particular cookie or dessert that when you think of them or eat them an extra pleasant emotional response accompanies it. My grandma on my dad's side makes no bake peanut butter cookies, sugar cookies, and scones that all warm my heart and soul when I eat them. My grandma on my mom's side makes sour cream chocolate cake from scratch and raisin bran muffins that I simply can't resist. Both of those women are in their 90's, and I'm very fortunate they are both alive and live near me.

I get in the mood to bake, especially in the Fall as the temperatures drop and the leaves start to change colors and fall. I made those oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars with my kids last week, and it was such a joy to be able to share something with them that was so special to me when I was growing up. I hope to pass on sweet memories of baking with the generations to come also.

There is something to be said, I think, about the power of memories that are attached to multiple senses like taste, smell, and touch. This, unfortunately, can be true for both positive and negative memories. Trauma responses can quickly be triggered by the 5 senses, and sometimes, very unexpectedly.

It could be a whiff of familiar perfume or cologne fragrance on a passing stranger that could bring back an intense memory or emotion connected to former partner or loved one. The smell of Copenhagen chewing tobacco makes me think of my "Pops" because he always had a can of it in his shirt pocket when I was sitting up on his lap in his recliner chair.

It wasn't until I got asked to complete a writing assignment about cookies or some kind of dessert that I realized what kind of emotional attachment I had with baking and the memories associated with it. It brought a whole new meeting to the term "comfort food" for me. It also inspired me to call my grandma and plan to make some muffins this weekend while there is yet still time.