Victoria Lynn Flanary, MD-PhD Graduate Trainee

Between the demands of medical school and frustrations of failed experiments and dead ends found during graduate school, I desperately needed an outlet for my stress. I started making sweets for myself during the preclinical years of medical school, as a way to step away from my studies and relax with a treat on nights before exams. When I entered graduate school, I had an entire lab of people who were more than willing to provide feedback on my experimental results, both for my thesis work and for the outcomes of my kitchen escapades. I started baking more often and for more people, testing every flavor combination and ingredient ratio that came to mind. Like any scientist, I kept track of my experiments, taking notes on how to improve each recipe with every attempt. I continued to refine my recipes until I could consistently achieve textures and flavors optimized to my tastes. This eventually culminated in quite a few original recipes of baked goods with subtle sweetness, delicate textures, and unique blends of fruit and tea. After so many recipe requests, I decided to post my final recipes (sparing you pages of my sloppy handwriting) here, for anyone to try for themselves. I hope my recipes suit your tastes, and if not, I wholeheartedly recommend trying some of your own baking experiments.