flavor creation process

We Can All Better Ourselves

Product development is one of my favorite parts of the job. It’s basically the professional equivalent of sitting at lunch daydreaming about what you’ll eat for dinner...which I’m doing constantly in my head. 

For me, coming up with new signature flavors and seasonal treats is an ongoing process. I don’t ever really stop thinking about food, and sometimes I get my best ideas making breakfast for my kids, on the fly at a photoshoot, or late at night, after everyone else has gone to bed and I’m craving something sweet. 

Our team is so energizing when it comes to creating flavors. We’ve got this collaborative process pretty much down-pat by now, especially when we’re about to launch something for a special occasion, or small, limited edition batches for a holiday season.

The One-Bite Test

With our hand-crafted, bite-sized cupcakes, you can try as many as you want, totally guilt-free. You don’t have to choose between red velvet, cookies & cream, or peanut butter & jelly.  You can have them all, each as their own perfect bite. 

When we’re developing something new, we continually come back to the question: “How do you get every single element of the dessert into ONE BITE?”

So if we can’t get the ratios equal, we take a step back and see what’s not working. Cake, stuffing, icing, and the toppings all have to work together to tell the story of say, cookies & cream or a PBJ. 

In baking, I like to say that you eat with your eyes first. So we put just as much thought into how our mini-cupcakes look as how they taste.

The Power of Nostalgia

Baker’s block is a lot like writer’s block. You can wait for inspiration to strike, but you might be waiting forever. Our team comes from all types of backgrounds and traditions, so I’m always learning from them. When I can’t crack an idea for a flavor or get it to taste right, I send an email to the office and ask for their unique points of view.

For me, that means asking questions like, “What are their favorite desserts from childhood? What was the one dish their family was known for making on holidays? What flavors do they associate with being a kid again?”

The bite-sized nostalgia we bake into every creation is pretty powerful, and it gives us a personal connection to whatever we’re testing in the kitchen.

Always Ask for Help

Since becoming CEO, I’m even more interested in exploring perspectives that differ from my own. I know that I don’t know everything, and it empowers me to ask for help when I need it—ideally, before I even know I need it!

If you want to create something new and great, engage with people who have the strengths you don’t have and see what kind of magic happens.

That’s what makes our flavor creation process unique season after season, year after year. Whether you grew up on apple cider doughnuts, key lime pie, or chocolate babka, we bake outside the box to focus on the memories that transport you back to your childhood in a single, joyful bite.

What’s your favorite childhood dessert? I’d love to know. Send me a DM (@melissabenishay)!

P.S. You can mix and match your favorite flavors with our Pick Your Own Packs! Thank me later.

Did you make this recipe? We want to know! Tag us in your baking creations on instagram @bakedbymelissa!