When I was a small girl, my mother took me to the corner bake shop. “A cookie or a doughnut?” she asked. I looked at the doughnut with its missing center. I looked at the round cookie in its complete form. “I’ll have the doughnut, mama!”

You see, I chose the doughnut, because like that doughnut, I felt empty, too.

That’s a fun way of categorizing people. And no, I’m not talking about what they prefer.

Cookie people are unpredictable. Some turn out to be the perfect, chewy chocolate chip cookie, while others are crunchy. Some give false hopes of being the perfect cookie but turn out to be raisin cookies.

But my oh my, donut people. Donut people are the best people. You always know what to expect;a nice sweet coating and a pillowy inside. They are beautiful inside and out.

It was a cool morning the first time four year old Anna bit into a cookie. When the sugar cracked beneath her teeth, she felt the hint of chocolate melt on her tongue. She liked its crunch, the hard edges, and the tender, sweet centre. As she soared through this taste sensation, she wondered whether this was what being in love would feel like.

@Ernaline

Cookies.

For two reasons.

One: I have a psychological quirk where if something bad happens once, it will scar me forever. It runs in the family. My grandma has been alive for an eternity, and so she basically hates everything now.

So, can you guess what happened? Right. There was a doughnut incident.

I was vacationing in Colorado and got my hands on some doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnuts. I'd heard amazing things about them, so I just had to sample one.

Well, I did more than sample. I ate two whole doughnuts, and each one was roughly the size of my face. They were delicious. I am a sugar fiend, so it was a match made in heaven.

You're probably wondering right about now: "Sounds like a pleasant experience. So why are you scarred for life?"

It's because of what happened afterward.

Being the complete idiot that I am, I thought it was a good idea to excercise while those doughnuts were still sitting in my stomach, rock-like.

I had bad judgement, okay? Honestly, I still sort of do...

Sparing you all the details, let's just say I felt incredibly ill and was this close *holds thumb and pointer finger about a nanometer apart* to puking.

So yes, that is how donuts were ruined for me.

Two: I went vegan about six months ago, so if I want baked goods, I either have to make them myself or go broke (some of that 'artisinal' vegan crap is frickin' expensive!). Therefore, I make my own stuff. And since cookies are a million times easier and take way less effort to make than doughnuts, I always bake cookies and never make doughnuts.

Yep, so that's why I say cookies over doughnuts. All you doughnut lovers out there, please don't hate me.

But... you know what? Cookies aren't even my baked good of choice.

Cake is.

So there.

Between cookies or doughnuts.

Which one will bring me more joy?

The soft glaze of a crispy crust?

Or the crunch of chocolate inside?

I ponder this question.

It is a difficult one indeed.

But then I realize:

I need not make a choice.

I’m allergic to gluten.