Viral Recipes: A Review!

Whenever I go on social media, my feed always finds a way to transform into a cookbook. From baked sweets to savory meals, bright colors and creamy textures constantly captivate my attention. These recipes consistently appear quick and easy, so I decided to try making three of the many trendy foods I have stumbled upon. Here are my experiences and reviews!

1. Cloud Bread

RECIPE

Ingredients:

• Two egg whites (room temperature)

• Two tbsp of sugar

• One tbsp of cornstarch

• A dash of strawberry extract (optional)

• Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

• Whisk egg whites until everything is frothy and bubbly

• Add sugar and continue whipping until everything has dissolved

• Add cornstarch

• Continue whisking until stiff peaks form

• Add in your extract and food coloring

• Bake in a preheated oven at 300 ℉ for 25 to 30 minutes

Its cloud-like form and the recipe’s simplicity allured me. Last year, videos of these colorful delights repeatedly appeared on my Instagram feed. The recipe I used to make this bread called for egg whites, sugar, cornstarch, strawberry extract and food coloring. I didn’t have strawberry extract, but it was an optional ingredient. Besides that, I had all of the other ingredients at home already.

When I first decided to make this bread, I hesitated because I didn’t know what to do with the discarded egg yolks. (I eventually settled on making scrambled eggs with them.) First, I preheated my oven to 300 ℉ for ten minutes to bake the dough after I prepared it. Then, I used an electric mixer to beat the egg whites. The mixer expedited the process dramatically. I added a tiny amount of red food coloring to give the cloud bread an appealing pink hue. I stopped the mixer once stiff peaks started to form, and I baked the bread for 20 minutes at 300 ℉. When the bread finished baking, I used a toothpick to ensure the interior was not raw.

The final product came out well, as the bread was super fluffy and lived up to my initial expectations. The crust of the bread was not hard nor too burnt, and the inside was a pretty cherry blossom pink. Taste-wise, the bread reminded me of Japanese sponge cakes. If I had to criticize one aspect of this recipe, it would be the directions. It would have been much easier if the recipe stated the oven temperature was in degrees Fahrenheit! I had to convert 150 ℃ to its temperature in Fahrenheit on my phone with floury hands, which was frustrating. Nonetheless, this recipe is as straightforward as it looks and sounds, and I would recommend trying it out.

2. Baked Oats

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• Half a cup of oats (fifty g)

• One medium banana

• Two large eggs

• One tsp of baking powder

• One-eighth of a teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

• Chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

• Mix all the ingredients

• Top the batter with chocolate chips

• Bake in the oven at 175 ℃ (350 ℉) for 22 minutes

I have seen countless baked oats recipes on the internet, and they have never failed to make my mouth water! Churro-baked oats, tiramisu baked oats, matcha cheesecake baked oats. Numerous unique variations of this viral breakfast/dessert exist on the web! I chose to recreate one of the original recipes of this bowl of bliss: chocolate chip-baked oats.

The recipe calls for oats, bananas, eggs, baking powder, cinnamon and chocolate chips. I did not have cinnamon, so I substituted it with vanilla extract. To combine all of the ingredients, I used a blender cup. After blending the components, I poured the mixture into an oiled ramekin. I topped the batter with chocolate chips and baked it in a preheated oven at 347 ℉ for 20 minutes. When the baked oats came out of the oven, my entire house filled with the aroma of sweet milk chocolate. I let the baked oats cool for a few minutes before trying it with my little sister.

The baked oats tasted like a regular vanilla cake, but it was completely slathered in warm, smooth and creamy chocolate, making the overall taste reminiscent of a thick chocolate chip cookie. The excessive amount of chocolate chips made the baked oats too sugary for me. Despite that, my little sister and I quickly devoured the baked oats. I would undoubtedly make this recipe again, but in one of the variations mentioned above.

3. Banana Bread

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• 200 g of ripe banana (about three medium bananas)

• 50 g of melted butter

• 80 g of sugar

• One tsp of baking soda

• A pinch of salt

• One egg

Directions:

• Mash the bananas and mix it with melted butter

• Add sugar, baking soda, the egg, and salt

• Fold in the flour

• Bake at 175 ℃ (350 ℉) for 50 minutes

Before trying this recipe, I had never tried banana bread before. Yet, many people I know have talked about baking banana bread, so I decided that it was finally my turn to discover the wonders of this dish.

The recipe I followed to make this banana bread only called for bananas, butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, an egg and all-purpose flour. I started by mashing the bananas; since I used a fork, it took a solid three minutes to get a satisfactory consistency somewhere between pancake batter and cookie dough. Then, I mixed the banana with everything except the flour. After thoroughly combining the other ingredients, I dumped the flour and continued mixing. Then, I oiled a loaf pan and transferred the bread dough into it. I added some oats and walnuts as toppings and baked the bread in a preheated oven at 347 ℉ for 25 minutes. When the bread finished baking, the smell of bananas made it very difficult to wait for the bread to cool. I was so eager to see the final product that I only waited about two minutes before cutting the bread and eating a slice. The taste was heavenly and left me in awe. Words cannot explain how much of a game-changer this banana bread was. I will definitely be looking into more banana bread recipes to fulfill the rest of my inner-foodie desires!

All in all, these three recipes are only a few of the tasty foods that I have come across on the vast internet. There are a myriad of dishes awaiting my discovery, so as I expand my knowledge and experience in my cooking ventures, I encourage you to try some recipes as well! Thanks for reading!

References

Alyssa. (2021, March 31). Blended vegan baked oatmeal. Simply Quinoa. Retrieved February

24, 2022, from https://www.simplyquinoa.com/blended-vegan-baked-oatmeal/

Easy Peasy Pan. (2021, March 2). VIRAL TIKTOK BAKED OATS | DELICIOUS BAKED

OATMEAL WITH BANANA & CHOCOLATE CHIPS. youtube.com. Retrieved February

23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRvtwQC1FPE&t=1s

lifewithtuyen. (2020, August 4). instagram.com. Retrieved February 23, 22AD, from

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDeo6GCnFRd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

woaikayatoast. (2021, December 10). instagram.com. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CXTa3QUJOeF/?utm_medium=copy_link