It was a hot (brownie) mess

Today, God taught me a lesson through baking. I was reminded that even in trials and mistakes, things can turn out alright. Heck, they might even be better than we expected. We need only to trust and be patient. Every Wednesday I bake something for my house church, so this week I went with brownies. Although I hate to admit it, I bought Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix instead of making them from scratch (it’s just so much cheaper and quicker — life of a college student). Don’t get me wrong, Betty Crocker’s mixes are all amazing, but I take pride in my family’s recipe.

So to add my own twist to these traditional brownies, I added a handful of chocolate and butterscotch chips, a few mini marshmallows and Betty Crocker chocolate frosting. 

Here’s where the problem came in; a dorm kitchen only supplies one pan, and people love to steal it. Since I was in a rush, I failed to make sure the pan was in the cupboard before I made the batter. The closest thing I could find was a cupcake pan, so I sprayed some Pam in each holder, I poured the batter in and sprinkled some marshmallows on top. While the recipe calls for 24 minutes, I thought I’d better start with 10. Unfortunately, by the time 10 minutes were up, the tops were over the edges but the middles were still gooey (to check, stick a toothpick in the middle and see what comes off). Fail. I decided to take them out before I made an even bigger mess. After a few minutes of cooling, I tried to pry one out of the pan and though the edges were cooked, the centers were still batter. Oh, well.

I apologized to my leader that I would not be bringing a snack since I messed up. He asked if they were still edible, so I thought I might as well try. I spread some frosting on it and ate a spoonful. I didn’t care how hard it was to eat or how messy it looked – I had to share it. I put a dollop of frosting over the melted marshmallows in the other cups, grabbed a handful of forks and watched as people struggled but loved this melty, chocolatey, delicious dessert that doesn’t really follow any sort of guideline.

So whether it’s in life or in baking, just remember that even when things don’t go according to your plan, something even better could come out of it. 

What masterpieces have you accidentally created?