I grabbed a spoon and thought I’d try a bite. It smelled amazing, but so does soap, so I approached with caution. When I finally took a taste, I was in heaven. It was like a giant, sticky, soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. The orange sauce provided the perfect balance of subtle acidity and I immediately put my spoon down to find mom and tell her how incredible it was.
I’d (Amelia) like to call this my first recipe, but in reality it’s not. My first recipe, conceived in about five minutes when I was maybe ten, closely resembles some of the health trends of 2019. It was a baked dessert boasting an enticing ingredient list: oats and bananas. By my vague memory (and the memory of my mom), I mashed bananas and oats together with an egg and baked them. I was very excited. Until I tasted it. Despite my parents’ best efforts to compliment and eat it all, I knew it was gross. (And, upon asking mom today, I discovered that she did think it was gross after all. Parents lie too, I guess.)
