It's been an ongoing thing for a while for me to stress bake. From moving to a different country, to meeting new people to new school, new job etc it has been one crazy ride for me in Singapore. However, I do feel super accomplished. I've done a lot for the past year or so, and sometimes I like to take a step back and just reflect. Whenever I feel like things are getting too heavy on my shoulders, I bake. I guess the perks of being stressed during this time of the year is quite useful then haha.
Anyways I would like to talk more about stress baking. It's been an outlet for me since I started learning how to bake. How do I say it... it's just therapeutic. It's less expensive than shopping, that much I know haha. But the feeling of accomplishment after you've done baking, now that feeling overrides the stress. Don't get me wrong, the stress is still there but it's manageable. Baking clears my mind. It makes me more focused so I don't get distracted. Gives me a goal. So yes, stress baking is not always bad.
And of course, even if I still feel like crap afterwards, I can munch on the goodies I made. Not during Ramadan of course! It's a nice treat, really. And it's a win-win situation I must say.
I also feel the same about writing. Whenever I write, my mind can finally breathe. If you look into what I think about on a daily basis, it's quite suffocating. I think a lot. Probably more than I should. Basically what I'm trying to say is, I have a lot of weaknesses. But I also try to make it my strength, as best as I can. 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Also I wanna add tips to make cookies in humid weather:
1. Chill your dough for half an hour or so (cover it in cling wrap). It makes a world of difference!
2. Leave the rest of the dough in the fridge while using half so it won't be mushy
3. If you're using a cookie cutter, dip it in flour before inserting it to the dough, that way it won't stick
(I had to learn all of these the hard way ;A;)
Have fun making kueh raya and spend your time wisely during these last 5 days of Ramadan!