yay + yikes

i'm constantly pinning new recipes i want to try. 

some get lost in my boards and i forget about them for months, some become new favorites, some just don't work out.

i'm here to talk about the last two:

new faves

+

total flops

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let's start with the flop. which, i should clarify, was a flop because of my inability to execute. not because of a bad recipe.

i posted this sweet potato fry recipe back in november. 

guaranteed crispy sweet potato fries?

ok.

sounded great to me.

and since i'd picked up a mega-sized sweet potato at the takoma park market on sunday, i thought it would be fun and easy (ha.) to make fries later in the week.

fast forward to last night and my too-soggy-to-stand-up-straight fries.

ugh.

but this recipe has potential. i think my problem was adding WAY too much cornstarch.

srsly, mine looked like powdered sugar sticks when i was through with them.

not anything like this, which is what we shoulda been going for:

via the art of doing stuff

oops.

they weren't...horrible. the texture and crunch were just not there.

but i'm a determined one. and i'm going to try to make this recipe work. 

stay tuned for part deux.

_ _ _ 

now let's talk about some success. success in the form of these cookies:

pic by me

i'm a little picky about my chocolate chip cookies. i like them to be supermoist. so moist that they're still like that the next day. even once they've cooled completely.

i want them soft and i want them buttery.

i've tried so many recipes. but through trial and error, i've found the perfect recipe for me. and i'm excited to share.

it calls for the most (three!) sticks of butter i've ever seen in a cookie recipe.* but maybe that's what makes them so good. it also calls for an insane amount of flour. maybe the flour makes them so good.

who knows. what i do know is that these cookies are my number one.

just remember to heed the contessa's advice and leave your butter and eggs out overnight. having those ingredients at room temperature makes all the difference in the final product.

_ _ 

and there you have it. two of my yay/yikes kitchen moments.

do you have a go-to recipe that you love? one that you can't seem to master?

i'd love to hear all about it!




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*the recipe wants you to use these milk chocolate chips. but i find that's a little too sweet for me. so i use mini semi-sweet chips. mmm. mmm. mmm.