One of the questions I get asked most often is how I develop my recipes. The honest answer: lots of time, brainstorming, money, tears — and many failures. Emphasis on the many. I spend so much time testing and refining recipes that at least a quarter of that time goes toward redoing things that didn’t work the first time.
I only wish I had taken photos of every single failed attempt.
Where to start?
I tried to make two mini red velvet cakes for Valentine’s Day.
As you can see, that attempt did not go well. Something about vinegar, baking soda and too much wine conspired against me. Fortunately, the second try didn’t flop.
These “healthy” chocolate scones were among the driest, most unappealing baked goods I have ever made.
I dropped the “healthy” pretense and reworked the recipe until they were right.
One morning I absentmindedly grabbed cinnamon chips instead of chocolate chips while making chocolate chip cookies.
It might sound intriguing, but trust me — it wasn’t a success.
This next one wasn’t my fault. After splurging on the freshest lobster we could find in Pittsburgh, Mr. How Sweet prepared it in an unexpected way.
He mistook “sauté” for “boil in a pot of water.” Thankfully it still turned out edible and delicious.
During a muffin binge, I tried stuffing a muffin with a caramel square.
Guess what happens? The caramel sinks to the bottom. Then you spend a long time scrubbing muffin tins.
I also made grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp that I ultimately judged too unphotogenic to share.
It was delicious though, and we enjoyed every bite.
One marble loaf cake sank heavily in the center.
Not the most beautiful outcome.
More muffin mishaps followed.
These never solidified into proper muffins in the oven. I blamed the oven. And perhaps the wine.
Before I refined my hot cocoa cookie recipe, some batches came out extremely underdone.
After nearly 20 minutes in the oven, they still weren’t right.
Loaf cakes have given me trouble more than once.
On one batch I forgot to coat the chips in flour on the first try — a mess to clean up.
I have more molasses, syrup, flour, butter, cocoa powder and bacon grease trapped in the crevices of my counters, camera and other places than you can imagine.
Mr. How Sweet is usually not amused.
I once forgot to spray the pan for baked mozzarella balls — not once, but three times — and ended up peeling burnt, bubbly cheese off the only pan Mr. How Sweet hasn’t managed to ruin.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I always laugh when readers comment on my photos and recipes, because if they could see every behind-the-scenes moment, we’d probably end up sharing a good cry. The next time something goes wrong in your kitchen, think of me — I’m likely sitting in a pile of dough and tears, wondering why the mixer decided to leap off the counter.
Here’s to a delicious year ahead!