If you have ever pinned a recipe on Pinterest or saved a recipe from the internet, chances are you modified that recipe before you even started. "Oh, they didn't add any vanilla? I think a teaspoon sounds lovely!"...."Wow..that's a lot of cinnamon, how about I change that."...."I really like what they did there, but I think I might change just about all of it."
A minor pet peeve of mine is when the comment section under a recipe has a reviewer that rated the recipe a 5 out of 5 and then proceeded to tell the author exactly the changes they made...which completely altered their recipe. All I can do at this point is yell at the screen, "But you just rated your own recipe a 5 out of 5!" If you changed the kind of flour they used, added more sugar, took away key spices...it doesn't count anymore, and your review means nothing. I can't use it!
Of course there are times when you have to alter. For instance, sometimes I use non-vegan recipes and I have to change the butter or the milk. Or maybe the foodie loves spice and we just don't have the same pain tolerance. So, yes, sometimes it's necessary. But wouldn't it be nice, if you don't have to, to try a recipe just as is, to give it an honest review?
I tried this recipe from The Pretty Bee for Dairy Free Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars without making any changes! I didn't add anything I thought might make it "better" or change the instructions.
It was a lot harder than I thought it would be! The temptation was huge to add a little vanilla!
But I was so glad I didn't because the results were pure and amazing!
Much love,
Stacie D
