Nickie’s Nook: Oils and Books

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

I don’t know if it’s truly the most delicious thing I’ve EVER eaten, but these cookies were absolutely one of the best things I’ve ever cooked! These dreamy orange vanilla cake cookies are soft and fluffy on the inside like cake, but the outside feels like cookie. I got the recipe from ChatGPT. The recipe uses Wild Orange essential oil along with vanilla cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and white chocolate chips. I’ll include the recipe below, but I’d like to share why I made them and what that means to me.

I made it as my final cooking project in what we call “adjustment to blindness training.” I researched and found the recipe using ChatGPT and made the cookies as my contribution to my graduation pizza lunch. My training has made a huge difference in my quality of life because even though the training focuses on blindness skills including Braille, technology, techniques of daily living, mobility, keyboarding and cooking, thanks to the instructors who are occupational therapists I’ve been learning many skills that help me do things even with my pain.

Thanks to amazing training, I’ve learned how to do so much more on my own. Even though I still need help because of my pain, I can now dive into activities like cooking, blogging, having fun, and even job hunting! Being blind since birth, I didn’t always pick up some basic life skills that a lot of sighted folks take for granted. And my chronic pain? Well, that’s a whole different beast that made it tough to do things people my age are usually doing.

We often struggled to figure out how I could manage activities with my chronic pain, which is way more disabling than my blindness. Blindness has its own set of challenges—like not being able to watch and learn from others. So, I have to find my own way of doing things for more than one reason. For a long time, I let the fear of combining my “blindness world” and “pain world” hold me back.

But then I decided it was time to bite the bullet and put my independence and quality of life first. And guess what? The fantastic instructors and staff at Vision Loss Resources were totally up for the challenge! With their help, I moved out of my childhood home and started living more independently. They’ve taught me some awesome skills I need to reach my goals and live my best life. And honestly, it feels pretty great!

Orange Dream Cake Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box of vanilla cake mix

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3-4 drops doTERRA Wild Orange Essential Oil

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Mix the ingredients: • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. • Add the drops of Wild Orange Essential Oil. Start with 3 drops and taste the batter to see if you want a stronger orange flavor. If desired, add another drop. • Mix until all ingredients are well combined. If using, fold in the white chocolate chips.

3. Shape the cookies: • Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie.

4. Bake the cookies: • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers may still look a bit soft, but they will set as they cool.

5. Cool the cookies: • Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Optional - Dust with powdered sugar: • Once the cookies are completely cooled, you can dust them with powdered sugar for a festive touch.

Notes:• This recipe makes approximately 24 cookies. • Be sure to use high-quality, food-grade essential oils like doTERRA’s Wild Orange.

These cookies are light, fluffy, and bursting with citrusy and vanilla flavors, making them perfect for a quick treat without much effort. Enjoy!