Yes, the last time I made chocolate chip cookies. The recipe said to use shortening so I used it, but I didn’t like the result. They were hard and puffy. Then I remembered is usually use butter instead as I like a flatter crispy cookie. I hadn’t baked for a while and forgot.

Most of the recipes I've seen have all had butter in the batter as well as butter in the pan with the brown sugar. I've never made one with fresh pineapple. Butter in the batter should not make the cake particularly "dense" unless it was a LOT of butter, like a pound cake (which is a dense cake but certainly "edible"!).

Anglo, the butter was _melted_, which will make a denser cake as it cannot be creamed, which gives a lighter texture.

Rita, in your shoes I would have used the part of the recipe which deals with the fresh pineapple for the pineapple part, and the cake part of my normal recipe.

Yes, I like them flatter and crispy. And you’re right, the flavour is better.

Re following a recipe when you think it doesn't look quite right, yes I have and wish I hadn't.... It was for malagueta (fermented pepper condiment) and my gut told me that the recipe used WAY too much salt. It did. And with all that salt I couldn't even compost it. :(

Yes, but not memorably enough to say what. Oh! Not fails, but I have a recipe for a curry that says (my handwriting) "not very good". That means I saved the recipe for something that was worthwhile in the method, but not the actual flavor. And I have a good recipe for a Persian chicken dish which has ground walnuts in it, but way too many to eat (one has one's fill of them after a few delicious bites) and they can't be separated out without losing the sauce. I'm not sure it's worth doing again, but I think it would be fine with half the nuts.

Every cake recipe that calls for butter that I've ever made called for whipping the softened butter with sugar, then the eggs. Like I said, I was suspicious but then I forgot the golden rule that not everything on the internet is true! LOL!

There are many very light sponge cakes that call for the addition of melted fat.

So disappointing when that happens, isn't it? Particularly if you invested fresh $$$ produce (a lot of time, lots of dishes, special occasion, etc.) I used to just look at ratings on some cooking blogs, etc. without reading the comments. A lot of times, commenters just give a five star rating without even making it.

That said, I just made not one but TWO (cause I'm smart like that) attempts at a recipe that I'd actually give negative stars for chicken in the Instant Pot. I now have what we call "cottony" chicken (i.e. 185 degrees temp) that I'll be looking to "hide/obscure" in some casserole with a lot of cheese:)

CathyinSWPA