My aunt said my grandma's cornbread was always a little sweet, which I never knew.

I was making her recipe last week and called my aunt to check something, and she just casually mentioned that grandma always added a full tablespoon of honey to the dry mix. I'd been following the written card for years and it just said 'sugar', so I was using plain white sugar. It totally changes the flavor and makes it way more moist. Does anyone else have a family recipe where a small, unwritten detail makes a huge difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_sanchez881d ago

Heard a friend's mom always used cold coffee in her chocolate cake batter, not water, which was the secret to its deep flavor.

lucas638h ago

Read an article once about how coffee makes chocolate taste more chocolatey without adding coffee flavor. It's like a flavor booster. My aunt swears by using a spoon of instant coffee granules in her brownie mix instead of brewing a whole cup. She says it gives that same deep taste without extra liquid.

shane_reed1d ago

Actually, that secret detail thing drives me a little nuts. Sometimes a recipe is just a good recipe, and changing one thing doesn't automatically make it magic. My mom's meatloaf is perfect as written, no hidden splash of cola or anything. Feels like people just want there to be a secret.