A Silly Mistake, From Which I Learned Something New! (2024)

A Silly Mistake, From Which I Learned Something New! (1)

So, I learned something new this week. I was making a meal with my 6 year old daughter. I rotate through each of my children and give them opportunities to plan and prepare a meal with me, and it’s one of their favorite things.
My daughter had chosen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Muddy Buddies, which sounded amazing! The directions told us to melt some white chocolate chips, and then add brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. We did as the directions said- and ended up with a clump of seized chocolate. I thought that was so weird because I was so careful when melting the chocolate, but I figured I must have overdone it still, so we repeated the process with some new ingredients- with the exact same results. I noticed that my chocolate really started hardening after I added the vanilla extract, which made me curious- does extract make chocolate seize up?
The short answer- yup. How did I not know this?? I guess it just goes to show that you can learn something new every day, no matter how old you are!
Extracts will seize up chocolate because of the alcohol content. If you have a chocolate mixture, meaning it has other ingredients with it, then it should be fine. But if you add an extract to plain, melted chocolate, you’ll end up with a big lump. Chocolate is such a finicky thing- it will act up if you add too much moisture, and it will act up if you add too little, as well.
If you want to flavor your chocolate, there is a way to go about it- you just have to be a little more careful!
Pay attention to the ingredients of the flavoring. If it is oil-based, it will blend in with your chocolate without creating a hunk of edible Play-doh. However, if water is listed as the first ingredient, you don’t want to add that to plain melted chocolate. Try adding your other ingredients first, to create that chocolate “mixture” we were talking about. For example, heating your chocolate by adding it to a little heated cream will help stabilize it and allow you more flexibility for adding flavorings. You can also buy special flavorings that are specifically created for flavoring chocolate and candy. When adding flavoring, it can be helpful to warm it up, so that it’s the same temperature as the chocolate, or letting the chocolate cool a little first. Add a tiny bit at a time, and mix well between additions.
Really, it’s a little trial and error, depending on what you are using the chocolate for, and what else you may be mixing with it! But hopefully you have a little better idea of what you should and shouldn’t add to your melted chocolate!
In our situation, we ended up embracing the clumping. It still tasted delicious- white chocolate and brown sugar are pretty hard to mess up! We broke the chocolate lump into small clumps and added it to the Chex.

A Silly Mistake, From Which I Learned Something New! (2)

Once we added some chocolate chips and sprinkles, we had our own little tasty mix that the kids were thrilled with, so it wasn’t a complete disaster ;). And I learned something new for next time!

A Silly Mistake, From Which I Learned Something New! (3)

Sources:

  • https://www.wheatmontana.com/content/high-altitude-baking-how-make-your-recipes-work-mountains
  • https://blog.thermoworks.com/thermometer/high-altitude-effects-cooking/
  • https://www.allrecipes.com/article/high-altitude-cake-baking/
  • https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/baking-cooking-high-altitudes
  • https://www.flickr.com/photos/stone-soup/2240901789


A Silly Mistake, From Which I Learned Something New! (4)Camille Hoffmann
Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! camille@dvo.com

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A Silly Mistake, From Which I Learned Something New! (2024)

FAQs

How to answer what have you learned from your biggest mistake? ›

Do's:
  1. Be honest and genuine in your response.
  2. Take responsibility for your actions and show what you learned from the experience.
  3. Focus on the positive outcomes and how you overcame the failure.
  4. Use specific examples and quantify your achievements wherever possible.
  5. Showcase your problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Apr 25, 2024

What are some examples of learning from your mistakes? ›

Every single person can learn from mistakes and take different things from them:
  • The world doesn't end.
  • Things can be fixed.
  • People are willing to forgive & empathize.
  • You yourself are not infallible.
  • You yourself don't have to be infallible.
  • You're much more resilient than you thought you would be.
Jun 14, 2023

What mistakes did you make that taught you something? ›

I was trying to do everything and ended up not doing anything well. This mistake taught me the importance of prioritizing and managing my time better. I learned that it's okay not to do everything at once and that focusing on a few important tasks leads to better productivity and less stress.

What is the greatest lesson you learned from a mistake? ›

One valuable lesson that people often learn from failure or mistake is the importance of persistence and resilience. Failure can be discouraging and demotivating, but it's crucial to keep going and not give up on your goals.

How do you answer what is the biggest mistake you've made? ›

The best way to approach this question is to be honest and transparent about a mistake you made, focusing on how you addressed and learned from it. Describe the situation briefly, explain the mistake and its impact, discuss the steps you took to rectify it, and highlight the lessons you gained from the experience.

How to answer what is your greatest failure and what did you learn from it? ›

Spend more time explaining what you have learned about yourself than the experience: Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, identify the reasons behind the incident and emphasise what you have learned and what you now do differently. Explain the actions you took to ensure that you wouldn't achieve the same mistake.

What can I learn from what I did wrong today? ›

Reframe your mistake as an opportunity to learn and develop. Review what went wrong, to understand and learn from your mistake. Identify the skills, knowledge, resources, or tools that will keep you from repeating the error. Review your progress.

What are some examples of mistakes? ›

Mistakes Examples (Mistakes People Make)
  • Allowing people to push you around/ being a doormat.
  • Being a bully.
  • Cheating on a partner.
  • Cheating on a test.
  • Dating the wrong person.
  • Not listening to the advice of your doctor.
  • Overeating.
  • Forgetting birthdays or anniversaries.

How can a mistake be learning experience? ›

Making mistakes can be a valuable learning opportunity. You can find lessons from your mistakes that can help you improve your skills and expand your knowledge. Learning how to build trust with your employer and colleagues can be useful to learn how to handle mistakes.

When did you make a mistake and what did you learn from it? ›

The best way to answer this question is to talk about a specific example of a time you made a mistake: Briefly explain what the mistake was, but don't dwell on it. Quickly switch over to what you learned or how you improved after making that mistake.

Can you give me an example of when you made a mistake at work? ›

Here are some common mistakes that happen at work that might help you think of the right example to share in an interview: Misunderstanding instructions from a coworker, leading to a mistake. Missing a deadline. Losing a customer/client as a sales representative.

How do you respond to what have you learned from your mistakes? ›

Points to Emphasize
  1. Highlight your strengths. Show the interviewer how you have grown from the mistake.
  2. Emphasize the things that you learned. This needs to provide the bulk of your answer. ...
  3. Incorporate valuable keywords. ...
  4. Stay positive.

What have you learned from your biggest mistake sample answer? ›

My biggest mistake has been ignoring myself for the better part of my life. I have not taken adequate care of myself in terms of physical and mental health. It is important to stay in best shape of our lives only then you can do good for yourself and your loved ones.

What was your last mistake and what did you learn? ›

Keep it brief, but be prepared to provide more details. Take full responsibility for your mistake. Describe how you solved it, and a positive result. Emphasise what you learned from it and how you applied that knowledge to avoid future mistakes.

How do you answer what have you learned? ›

It would be best to discuss skills you have and may have learnt in your last role, that are relevant to the job you are applying for. You may want to discuss a recent challenge you have faced, what you did to overcome them and the skills you gained from that experience.

What to do when you realize you made a huge mistake? ›

Acknowledge it. If you make a mistake and react in a way that is uncharacteristic or negative, the most important thing is to acknowledge it. Take responsibility for your actions. Passing blame around is not helpful, and the people around you will notice.

What did you learned from your failure? ›

Failure can teach you that trying once doesn't mean you'll never achieve the success you're striving for. If you can identify the steps that led to your failure and why they had the results they did, you can form a strategy for future success that avoids these treacherous past steps.

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