Spiced Orange & Dark Chocolate Cookies: A Self-Love & Comfort Spell

2024 is the year of less waste and is proving to be a great resolution.

Because it brought me these cookies.

Thanks to many oranges that were about to go bad, I had to whip up something.

Tied with an unfortunate death in the family recently, some love and comfort were a necessity as well.

So here we are with the spiced orange and dark chocolate cookies: a spell for love and comfort.

Ingredients and Their Magickal Properties

As I always mention in my recipe posts, the purpose of what I do as a kitchen witch relies on knowledge and intention.

Yes, this recipe will still taste delicious without transforming it into a spell. However, knowing your ingredients is essential to utilize this recipe to help change your mind, body, and spirit.

Below is a list of each added ingredient and its extraordinary power for this recipe. Please note that this is not every magickal benefit of this plant or herb, just the areas I believe should be focused on for this specific recipe.

Oranges (Mandarin Oranges)

A small citrus fruit, mandarin oranges, has been used for years to symbolize abundance and good fortune. Looking like a mini-sun, it takes traits of the sun planet of happiness and warmth.

Mandarin oranges carry an uplifting energy and tend to be a bit sweeter than regular oranges.

For the purpose of this spell, the sun-powered fruit promotes happiness, kindness (to ourselves!), and warmth.

Magickal Uses: Happiness, Warmth, Love, Uplifting, Abundance.

Cacao - Chocolate

Who hasn't bit into a chocolate bar and experienced happiness from their head to their feet?

The Maya believed the cacao tree was from the gods—a gift of divine love that brought about people's well-being, especially concerning fertility.

Mother Earth provides this energy through Cacao's chemical compounds that release dopamine and serotonin into one who ingests the plant.

The power of chocolate to promote relaxation and joy is the energy base we use for our spell here.

Magickal Uses: Peace/Relaxation, Comfort, Love, Gratitude, Happiness, Health.

Salt

It is such a seemingly minor ingredient, yet an essential one in both taste and energy. Anyone who has accidentally forgotten to add salt to a baked good can tell you how that little tsp is a stepping stone between amazing and disgusting.

Salt is associated with the earth element, making it excellent for grounding. I find when performing happiness or peace spells; it helps to utilize the power of grounding to help those get out of their thoughts and return to the physical.

Our salt for this spell is for purifying. We first pave the way by removing the negative to bring in positive energy. It's a simple concept but one of great power. This is why I try to add one purifying ingredient into all of my workings, as you're just increasing the power and success of your spell.

Magickal Powers: purification, grounding.

Vanilla

Our fermented orchid, vanilla, holds associations with the feminine, water, and Venus; therefore, it is all about tuning into our emotions, an exact spot to be to feel true happiness.

For a long time, folk magick utilized vanilla for love. What does love have to do with a happiness spell?

Well, the love we're looking for here isn't that of the romantic type (although vanilla is excellent for that, too) but the feeling of community or family. A mother's love, the love of a friend, and even self-love. All of these are aspects of promoting joy.

It's not all about joy either; vanilla also holds the energy of comfort and peace.

Magickal Powers: Love, Comfort, Peace

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has a rich history, from its use in medicine in Egypt to offerings in Greece.

One of my favorite magickal uses of cinnamon is for its power of success. For this spell, we're utilizing that power to guarantee its success essentially.

Now, please note that the cinnamon is completely optional here. However, I've found it helps enhance the chocolate taste in these cookies.

Magickal Powers: Prosperity/Good Fortune, Love, Success/Power

Nutmeg

Nutmeg has been used to promote happiness for a long time,.

For this recipe, we are jumping on nutmeg's spicy energies of happiness and speed to get us to our place of love and comfort a bit quicker.

Magickal Powers: happiness, speed

Wheat - Flour

Wheat has been used as worship for abundance for centuries. A good harvest was considered a foreshadowing of a year of good fortune.

Associated as gifts from gods and goddesses of Earth, it helped ground and bond communities. "Breaking Bread" is a well-known phrase developed through paganism worship, connecting those who shared and ate together.

For our spell, flour shows us the abundance in our lives, including the abundance in the community, reminding us how we're all connected and never truly alone.

Note: If it is available for you, whole wheat will be better for your spell and diet as other flours have been further processed, removing magickal energy and vitamins and minerals. I use Bob's Red Mill.

Magickal Powers: Abundance, Community, Prosperity

Spell Recipe

How to Implement Magick into the Recipe

*When adding your ingredients, remember to focus on the intention of the ingredient while working with it. (I.E., when folding in your flour, focus on the intention of abundance.

Not just the idea, but how does it make you feel? How does having these things in your life manifest?

I also recommend using the intentional stirring and speaking method to add to this spell. Stir counterclockwise for energies that need to be removed and clockwise for energies you wish to implement while speaking your incantations (or intention) out loud.

For example, I would stir clockwise when adding the vanilla while speaking to the pot.

Spirit of vanilla, bless this dish with communal love and comfort.

I recommend also consecrating via an incantation when the recipe is all said and done. Although I always recommend creating your own, as spells tend to be more powerful, you can also use the incantation below:

Through this dish, I bring in the blessings of love and comfort. May the universe sweeten my life by allowing myself and those around me to feel pure happiness within ourselves. So as it's been, so as it is, so as it may be.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground

• 1/8 tsp cloves, ground

• Zest of 1 mandarin orange (about 2 tbsp)

• 3 tbsp juice of mandarin orange

• 2 dark chocolate bars, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (flour, salt, baking soda)

3. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla.

4. Add eggs, beating until combined.

5. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

6. Add zest of orange and orange juice. The orange juice helps keep it combined with one egg; if you want less orange flavor, consider adding an additional egg and less juice.

7. Slowly add in the dry mixture and mix till well.

8. Add in chopped chocolate and mix till combined.

9. Drop dough on a prepared baking sheet (the size of 4 rounded tablespoons).

10. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops start to get golden.

11. Cool on a baking sheet for 2-5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

12. Eat with the intention of love and comfort.