If you have read or seen Netflix’s new adaptation to Jenny Han’s, “To All the Boys I Loved Before” trilogy, you would know that the main character, Lara Jean Covey, loves to bake. Throughout the two movies released in 2018 and 2020, Covey found calmness in baking whenever she is going through a problem or needs relaxation. I decided to take it upon myself to try and bake these iconic dishes: Funfetti Cupcakes, Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes with chocolate chips and Cherry turnovers.

In the first film, “To All the Boys I loved Before,” Covey made cookies for thanksgiving and cupcakes for her sisters bake sale. I decided to follow Popcorner Reviews recipe on how to make the delicious treats. Following the recipe, I decided to make the funfetti cupcakes with teal frosting with chocolate chips to represent her iconic teal bedroom walls.

This recipe was the easiest out of the three desserts chosen for my review. They were just basic cupcakes, right? However, since I am not the greatest baker, my frosting did not look as good as the original. The cupcakes were not very hard to mess up, but I did use pre-made funfetti mix to make my life a little easier. Author of Popcorner Reviews, Monica Miller, might have shown me up in this cupcake competition. 

In the following film, “To All the Boys I loved Before: P.S I Still Love You,” Covey’s real baking skills were brought into the spotlight. In the second film, Covey is caught in an inevitable love triangle between her current boyfriend, Peter Kavinsky, and her reconnected middle school crush, John Ambrose McClaren. To cope with her relationship problems, Covey bakes two more desserts: chocolate peanut butter cupcakes topped with chocolate chips and cherry turnovers.

 Bustle’s article, In ‘P.S. I Still Love You,’ Lara Jean Stress Bakes, Just Like The Rest Of Us, mentioned that “While creating delicious-looking creations for the film was important, “P.S. I Still Love You” food stylist Kate Bell says that conveying the “angst” Lara Jean feels while baking was an integral part of the kitchen scenes.” So, while making my desserts, I tried to get in the character of Covey. The short answer: It’s hard to channel internal angst. Not only were the desserts hard to make for a amature baker, like myself, but trying to be in a frantic mood like Covey added more stress and effort. 

I decided to make the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate chips first. I followed Missy’s recipe on the cupcakes, and unlike the cupcakes in the preceding movie, I had to make these from scratch which was completely new for me. I first made the chocolate batter, and then baked the cupcakes for 22 minutes. Then, I made peanut butter buttercream, and finally topped it off with chocolate chips to match her cupcakes. Call me strange, but I absolutely despise the taste of peanut butter. The atrocious, sugary substance stays in my mouth for what seems like hours. If I am being honest, I was absolutely disgusted by the thought of these cupcakes, but for the review I had to try them. When I tried this cupcake, it may have changed my mind completely on my thoughts of peanut butter. When I make cupcakes, like most, I just get the canned frosting. Since I made the peanut butter buttercream freshly, the buttercream was light and airy and actually tasted pretty great. 

In Covey’s next dessert, she traded chocolate for cherries. This was the first time ever I made a dessert that was not the basic cookies, cupcakes or cakes. I also had to make the dough from scratch. Honestly, it was the easiest part of this dessert. However, the cherry filling was probably the hardest part of the recipe. Covey made it look so easy compared to what it actually was like. After making my cupcakes, I had to preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and bake the cherry turnovers for fifteen to twenty minutes. Even though my desserts might not look as delicious as Covey’s, they still tasted pretty good. The tartness of the lemon-cherry filling balanced out with the sweetness of the crust. I would highly recommend making this dessert with your friends and family. 

After baking these desserts, I realized how calming baking actually was. Although some of the desserts were a little difficult to bake, the end result was worth it. Covey taught me how to relieve stress and after this experience, I might have to do some baking during semester and AP tests.