Measuring with Marla

I have known Marla for 47 years. Yes, you read that correctly. You may remember her from an earlier post where I talked about sleepovers.

Growing up we used to enjoy baking together. Some of you may be aware of how baking is science. Too much flour and you will end up with brownies that are too “cakey“. When you use cake flour that already has rising agents and then you accidentally add your own rising agent, and you will have quite the mountain growing in your oven. Yes, it’s ok to play with flavors and colors, but use liquid food coloring vs. gel and you can change the structure of your cookies and cakes. You get the drift.

I was not aware of these baking tips as a young teen when Marla and I baked together. However, I was obsessed with following the recipe to a tee. Marla was more relaxed and just liked to “play around” with recipes. She still does by the way! Except now it includes a panicked FaceTime call asking for help!

It amazes me how we are so similar, yet so different. I believe that this is part of why our friendship has stood the test of time. Like any friendship, there are ups and downs, but we have always been invested In maintaining the relationship.

When Marla texted me to ask me for my brownie recipe I immediately started to send it. With specifics of course. She needed the recipe because when she made brownies the day before, her kids put them in their mouths and began to make sounds that were truly inhuman. Not a good optic.

(pictured here)

Many of my readers have had my brownies and can attest to the rich flavor and fudgy texture. I find it to be a recipe that can be a little flexible, however, I still make it the same way nearly every time. It has changed slightly over the years, but still mostly consistent and true to how it has been made for years.

Marla and her family have some food allergies and sensitivities. Being flexible with cooking and baking has been a necessary part of her adult life. She has been able to adapt so many recipes in order to ensure that her kids have not missed out on traditions and favorites. I admire that. I find that my cooking and baking habits were almost too rigid. In the last five years or so, I have become much more flexible and, as a result, my family has expanded their palates. In truth, there are some of my readers out there who are cracking up right now because they know my husband and my kids well enough to know that “expanded palates” is a bit of a stretch. Well, compared to where they were 10 years ago, I consider them expanded!

Marla made my brownies last night, substituting the butter for non-dairy spread, and the kids insisted on adding Oreo cookies, some crushed and some whole. Marla's retelling of how she made the brownies should be written into a comedy routine. She said that she was yelling at her kids to be quiet as she was talking to herself, trying to stick to the recipe exactly, "just like Jacqueline!" She described how she talked her way through my instructions to a tee and was trying to "focus!" She was carefully cracking the eggs, mixing the sugar in slowly, visualizing how I would be doing it. She dropped the cocoa on the floor - in slow motion of course! She decided, in the end, that "it doesn't look terrible". Then, of course, just before putting them in the oven, the kids wanted the Oreos to go in, so that became quite the fiasco! She said a little prayer before putting them in and left them in the hands of the brownie baking gods. They loved the brownies! I was thrilled to hear that the recipe has the flexibility to be an amazing treat for her family. The overall goal with baking and cooking is to bring a smile to another person's face. Here are Marla's successful Oreo brownies!

Tonight, I made brownies. I stuck to my recipe and kept it traditional. That's probably how I will make my brownies most of the time. I may venture out and play around with the recipe a little one day. However, I have learned, through Marla, that whether you are measuring exactly or playing around with recipes, the heart and love is always the secret ingredient.

Here are some pics of my brownies. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for listening! xoxo