Convalescence Precedes Essence
Location
Required Items
Rewards
What the allowance actually buys
One allowance here buys 55,060 EXP, the best of the 6 Lv 25 Culinarian tradecraft leves that record EXP: the runner-up manages 53,430 EXP, 3% less.
Across that rung the return runs from 12,990 EXP to 55,060 EXP per allowance — 6 distinct figures spanning 324%, so the wrong pick leaves 42,070 EXP of the allowance unspent.
On whether to wait: the best Lv 30 Culinarian tradecraft leve returns 72,430 EXP per allowance, 32% more than the best on this rung, while the Lv 20 rung behind tops out at 22,960 EXP.
At Lv 25 this data holds 52 leves paying EXP across 2 categories: the 48 Tradecraft ones average 31,772 EXP per allowance, the 4 Fieldcraft ones 204,269 EXP, which puts this leve 73% above its own category's average.
Gil ranks it differently: 283 gil per allowance is 2nd of 6 on the same rung against 1st on EXP, with the best there paying 288 gil.
Ginger Cookie ×3 is a Lv 26 Culinarian recipe, 3 steps deep through 5 intermediates, costing 11 units of raw material and 10 crystals.
Handing that in returns 5,005 EXP and 26 gil for every unit of raw material the order swallows, and the tree needs Alchemist and Culinarian.