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Last week I wrote about Why I Hate Baking Substitutions.
I mentioned that most of them simply won’t create the same results. And when you mess around with a baking recipe, you’re messing around with the recipe writer’s intentions and arguably all the hard work that went into the creation of the recipe. Baking truly is a science!
I couldn’t believe how many of you feel the same exact way. Particularly regarding those recipe comments you see everywhere these days that say “I made this recipe but I swapped out A for B and it didn’t turn out. 1 star.”
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I got SO many messages in response that it actually broke my inbox for half a day!! Crazy.
I’m so grateful for your support. It’s inspired me to share something else I’ve been scared to talk about.
Something I’ve been seeing more and more recently is the uptick in fad diets.
I’ve been blogging for over 10 years. Fad diets have certainly been around longer than that.
However, I think with the rise of social media diets have come and gone much more rapidly. The spread of information and often, misinformation, is alarming. There’s SO MUCH going on in the world of food, eating, and nutrition online right now.
Paleo
Whole 30
Keto
Low Carb
Gluten free
Intermittent fasting
Vegan
…I could go on
I do not publish diet recipes.
I feel like that’s pretty clear to anyone looking at my content, but I still get asked about this often.
I don’t publish these types of recipes because I don’t believe in them. It’s my personal philosophy that dessert should be an indulgence as a wonderful part of life to be enjoyed and savored.
Because honestly: what’s the point of a Paleo brownie? Unless you have an allergy. Or something that doesn’t taste nearly as good as the ‘real’ thing that will just leave you feeling dissatisfied and often more likely to binge on something later?
I get asked often how I maintain a certain weight while baking for a living.
I honestly believe the answer to that question is that I don’t restrict myself or vilify any kind of food. I don’t believe any food is “bad,” “sinful,” or “cheating” in the way these words are often used in our culture.
There’s nothing less satisfying than a dessert that’s on a diet.
I enjoy dessert tremendously. I eat it daily. But I don’t eat it just for its own sake. I eat to enjoy it, and when I stop enjoying it I stop eating it. Even if that means after just a few bites. And then I don’t feel guilty afterwards because it brought me joy!
It’s my personal belief that the guilt and stress people place on themselves when it comes to their food choices is just as harmful as “indulgent” food itself. I’d rather enjoy my food and my life!
That’s exactly why I personally don’t believe in diets like Whole 30 or Paleo. I find them to be far too restrictive and stressful.
Of course I understand some people are facing allergies, health diagnoses, or are choosing a diet based on a personal ethical code or religious observation. Everyone should eat the way that makes them feel best physically, mentally, and emotionally.
But as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not here to satisfy every kind of recipe request. It would simply be impossible and I would burn out!
So if I’m feeling inspired to make a vegan or dairy-free recipe, maybe because I have a family member or friend who would benefit, then I will.
But 99% of the recipes you’ll find here use real butter, real cream, wheat flour, and regular sugar just like your grandma or great grandma used.
Raise your hand if you love unadulterated desserts!
You’re in the right place.
If you’re searching for something different, there are plenty of websites and bloggers offering you exactly that. There’s room for everyone!
xo
Tessa
Your perspective is refreshing! I agree, we should not feel guilty for enjoying dessert (and food in general). Guilt is not healthy! Thanks for sharing- be blessed! 🙂
Love what you have written here! Bravo! I also normally don’t substitute ingredients unless needed like: if a recipe called for Buttermilk, i will have to make my own with milk and lemon just cuz it’s just not sold in my supermarkets!
I love chocolates and can eat them everyday, in fact i just made your Best Gooey Brownies last week, they are perfect…i put half brown sugar and half white cuz i love the smell of brown sugar lol.
Someone commented on bread made with substitutes….wow! Believe me, i have tasted once made by a Keto person and want to know what the bread taste like? It looks beautiful and also looks exactly like a loaf of bread….but when you bite a piece, wow! It feels like you are chewing on cardboard paper! Keto cheese spread of cheesecake is also terrible! The substitute sugar that was used taste terrible!
I don’t know if anyone has heard about Keto noodles…i read a review on Google and she said it feels like chewing rubber even though she followed the instructions on the pkt! Then I googled further and found that it’s actually made of some plant tuber or stem and it’s found in jelly cup that can choke when you didn’t chew them properly cuz they just won’t melt like normal jelly from agar. It’s said to be rich in fibre and bloat your tummy so you will fill full easily….get the idea? It’s horrible diet food to my opinion!
Ok, enough said….
Tessa, keep on giving us all the wonderful recipes, they are heavenly yummy!
PS, going to make your Gooey Cinnamon rolls and actually have all the ingredients ready but unfortunately my right hand got hurt badly by my cat cuz i was trying to stop 2 cats from fighting!
Thank you, cheers!
To make it short: i completely agree.
Short time ago, i made a Kuign Amman (Brittany style cake with a lot of butter and sugar) as a dessert for some guests. In the end, there was a discussion about the amount of fat and sugar used in this cake and how to reduce it… that was not nice at all. But the cake was so good, because of butter and sugar.
Best wishes from Germany.
Johannes
Amen!
I couldn’t love this more!! The good thing is that there are so many blogs for those who do have restrictions (whether due to allergy/intolerance or lifestyle choice) so people do have options. I really enjoy your recipes (and you posts). Thanks for all your hard work. I can’t imagine how much time you must spend creating and perfecting. I genuinely appreciate all you do!
Thanks so much, Danielle!!
Dessert should be savour and enjoyed. I agree with you both the post…keep it up.
I do understand where you are getting this from. I see many vegan people, they literally trashing non vegan. First of all they have come from non vegan society, we have respected their lifestyle. Now they just can’t accept our lifestyle. It’s not fair. Both should be respected equally. Everyone have their own rights to enjoy their life, food.
So much yes! I love healthy food and I love dessert. Dessert that’s been made “healthier” leaves me unsatisfied and I’ll probably eat more to fill that void. Whereas one yummy cookie made with real ingredients will leave me fulfilled 🙂 it’s all about balance!
Tessa, thank you for having the courage to speak your mind in your two most recent posts. I’m with you in both cases! Keep on doing what you’re doing.
Thanks so much for your support!
Bravo – again! REAL food always yields best quality results. Keep up the good work!
Amen!!!!!
I love desserts, its my guilty pleasure.
I try to eat low carb mostly, but when it comes to desserts an d bread nothing beats the original. Life is a balance and when I want to indulge a eat my dessert the way is meant to be eaten. I have tried some low carb cookies and cheesecake, not bad but nothing like when you bake as our grandma used to. so when it comes to dessert and bread, I will always go the old fashioned way.
I love recreating your recipes.
I completely agree. I also feel IF I am eating dessert, I want to make it count so I will use real butter, real heavy cream, real flour, etc. because if I eat dessert, I want the real deal. Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear we’re on the same page 🙂