I probably shouldn’t admit it here, but they tasted pretty damn good. While I’m 100% in favor of cooking from scratch, I wonder how many of the people who go into histrionics over this sort of thing have actually tasted the things they are complaining about?

I’ll have to try this recipe at some point when I have time to compare.

I like lemon desserts on the tart side but I think any objective taster would agree, these were far too sweet.

Base tasted like not much (needed salt perhaps) and wasn’t thick enough (9×9 pan) to hold together once cut. Curd burned on the edges before the center had set. Pure hell on earth to get out of the pan at any stage of cooling.

I made no substitutions and know how to do what I’m told; I am a pastry chef. Obviously tastes vary, but this is not a reliable go-to recipe for this cookie.

Thanks for the tip on the Outrageous Brownies recipe, I’ll definitely have to try it, though I’ll probably cut it in half.

My “children” are now in their mid- to late- forties, but every time they come home for a visit we make Charlie Brown’s Mother’s Potatoes at least once, for auld lang syne. What fun to read your note about that cookbook too, and our favorite recipe from it. I spent years looking through used book stores but finally found a copy for each of my grown children. Triumph!

I am a scratch baker and cook.. but I cheat sometimes and buy “puff pasty” from a box. I love making it from scratch but it is timely, having to wait in between refrigeration’s and folding.. I don’t always have the time.

I think it’s o.k. to once in awhile simplify life..

I consulted a conversion chart and a medium lemon has about 3T of juice. So I can see where a large one could yeild 5T.

As for cakes from scratch versus ones from a box, yes there is a difference. It’s like the difference between store brand white bread and homemade. I will warrant that if you can’t tell the difference, then maybe the extra effort is wasted? Seriously.

There is a certain amount of pride and sense of accomplishment that only great effort (and good results) can provide. My son came home from school one day and asked if I could bake a cake for his class Valentine’s party. He said he told his teacher that I made a pretty good cake. Made me feel good and I was a little surprised that he already knew the power of flattery. Ten-year-old boys are often very lacking in the compliments department. The baking thing is kind of my “in” with him. And he’s showing an interest in it himself.

Being a member of the cult of butter and sugar (i.e. a pastry cook), I see the most heinous of food crimes: emulsified shortening (http://tinyurl.com/cd6d4h ). This stuff doesn’t melt until it’s heated well above body temp, which means it’ll coat your tongue for a while, making tasting anything else impossible until it finally dissolves chemically, but the worst part is that people have eaten so many cakes made with this stuff that when they get a cake made from all butter, they don’t like it.

And don’t even get me started on buttercream made with butter vs. the Crisco and sugar we get in the supermarket.

I will, however, forgive people like my wife who just despise cooking. If she makes a cake out of a box it’s a very special day, but in those rare cases it’s the fact that she made anything that makes it special not the cake.