Twenty years ago, when my former husband learned that one of my happy childhood memories involved an Easy-Bake Oven, he bought me one for Christmas. I was delighted. As often happens with kid’s toys, after a few uses it got tucked away in a closet. But it never left my heart. I’ve moved eight times since then, and though I’ve divested myself of many possessions, the Easy-Bake Oven always made the cut.
This year, I decided it was time to celebrate the holidays with what I dubbed The Great American Gluten-Free Easy-Bake Oven Holiday Bake-Off. My millennial friend Oakley jumped at the chance to join me. Equipped with the Homemade Easy-Bake Oven Mixes Cookbook I found online, we began. Thankfully, she’s a scientist. We chose two recipes to play with—Strawberry Bars and Brownies.
Using a gluten-free cinnamon apple muffin mix as the base, rolled oats, a date chopped into tiny pieces and plenty of butter, we measured our ingredients in tablespoons and teaspoons rather than cups. With no strawberry jam in the house, the super fruit spread in my fridge would have to do. We greased a miniature pan, pre-heated the oven (read light bulb) for fifteen minutes, and discussed the benefits of adding half-and-half to the mix to get the proper consistency. We artistically layered the batter/fruit/topping, slid the pan into the cooking chamber, and turned our attention to the brownies.
These we made with coconut flour, coconut sugar, coconut oil, melted dark chocolate and—you guessed it—butter. The resulting batter looked a bit dry, so again we added half-and-half. Our fruit crumble made it to the cooling chamber, and the brownies entered the “high” setting of the light bulb. This is when we attempted a photo of one pan entering and the other exiting the oven, quickly realizing why food photographers get paid to do what they do. The brownies finished baking and cooling, and we shared both desserts in what turned out to be the perfect serving size. Imagine our surprise when they tasted absolutely delicious!
Oakley and I had embarked on our bake-off for the sheer joy and laughter of it. Though thirty years separates us, we’d each been given the same favorite gift when we were kids. The opportunity to play in a toy kitchen again with all its miniature cuteness struck an audible chord.
What does it take to enter a state of childlike anticipation? Can we hold this state long enough to experience the wonder of life? Sometime this season, perhaps we’ll notice a moment that suspends time, bringing with it a gift wave of joy to awaken us.