Another year of deliciousness has passed by and it’s time to look back at the best of 2022. Did your favorites make the list?
Even though I only shared 70 new posts this year, I am willing to bet I updated almost as many old ones in 2022. As that has been an ongoing project the last couple of years, I have considered documenting any old recipes that gain traction in subsequent years but honestly it’s harder to track because I have to sift out the ones that are always popular from the ones that were actually updated. And I’m lazy so I stick to the metrics solely for 2022.
In the past, the posts with the highest traffic tended to be heavy on the sweets. However, the last 2 years I must have stepped up my game because now savory recipes reign. As a result, since most of my favorite savory recipes were also captured in the most trafficked, my list has now become sweets heavy! It’s all about balance – ha. Interestingly, the majority of the top 10 were posted in the last third of the year. Although to be fair all of the Italian dinner ones were made in April but I slacked in posting them in a reasonable amount of time.
BEST OF 2022
10. Nine Course Italian Dinner (9/14/22) – After hosting this dinner twice, I was happy to see it sneak into this list (rest assured it would have been on mine otherwise). This menu was a labor of love, and idea I have dreamed up during COVID-lockdown and was thrilled to finally make it a reality. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that recipes included on that menu also made the list.
9. Italian Braised Beef with Parmesan Polenta (9/12/22) – Exhibit A: this was one of the main dishes on my Nine Course Italian Dinner Menu. Not only is it a stunner to serve, but it tastes incredible. Definitely a meal to make when you want to impress, even if not served as part of the other 9 courses!
8. Spiral Snail Cookies (9/22/22) – This was the proudest nerd moment of my recipe blogging career. Amazon Prime Video legit found my Seven Hobbit Meals post when researching for bloggers to help promote Rings of Power. Just a simple cinnamon sugar cookie dough rolled up to look like a snail – a harfoot delicacy.
7. Cheetos Walking Tacos (3/5/22) – Step aside Doritos, because I think all walking tacos should be made with Cheetos from now on, and clearly you agree! Or you were at least intrigued enough to view this recipe a lot. Either way, this was a fun one to make solely because of my Cheetos obsession.
6. Peanut Butter & Jelly Whiskey Sour (8/25/22) – When life hands your peanut butter whiskey, make a PBJ whiskey sour! This was actually better than I expected it to be and proved itself further by making it onto the top 10 of 2022.
5. No-Bake S’mores Root Beer Float Dessert Lasagna (6/17/22) – At this point, I have made countless no-bake dessert lasagnas but this one quickly became a favorite. Hard to beat the combination of root beer and s’mores!
4. Cranberry Chicken Salad (11/16/22) – I am honestly shocked that this made the list. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but it was just so simple. Furthermore, it was only posted a little over a month ago which means it covered some serious ground to make it all the way to the #4 spot in such a short period of time.
3. Ashland-Wooster Drive-In – Ashland, OH (10/15/22) – Not a recipe, but my road-trip adventures hunting down root beer continue to be popular (last year was my Ohio root beer day trip post). If you are ever driving on i-71 between Cleveland and Columbus and need a pit stop, I suggest checking this place out.
2. Double Nickel Salad (8/23/22) – This was another recipe that surprised me – really, a salad not only made the list but is #2? Don’t get me wrong, it is one of my favorite recipes of all time so it deserves the spotlight and clearly I am not alone with this opinion.
1. Birria Flatbread (7/27/22) – This for sure was also been high on my list – so freaking good! Just imagine the popular birria meat in birria tacos, but served open-face on flatbread. My only regret was only making this because I ran out of tortillas and needed to use up the remaining birria meat. And then it was gone and I wanted more! Needless to say, this one will make it on the menu again.
MY FAVORITES OF 2022
10. No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Biscuit Cake (Erdnussbutter Kalter Hund) (9/24/22) – This recipe was so simple yet so delicious. Cutting into it and seeing all those layers was also incredibly satisfying, and was also impressive for others to behold.
9. Lemon Strawberry Shortcake Cake (7/18/22) – I have loved this recipe for years, prior to when I started this blog, but this was the first time I strayed and modified it which is a real shocker considering the fact that I modify almost every recipe that I love.
8. Mojito Cupcakes (6/10/22) – They may have a short name, but these cupcakes are packed with flavor and were the favorites of many with whom I shared them. There’s just something about real fresh lime and mint.
7. Maple Brown Sugar Cookies with Candied Sage (9/9/22) – Talk about packing a punch, that candied sage on top sets these over the edge. While these cookies are perfectly delicious on their own, if you take a little extra time to make the candied sage they are a gorgeous garnish.
6. Gluten-Free Lemon Almond Cake (5/23/22) – I first made an orange version of this cake using a recipe I got from a local meal service. I was so happy the full recipe was included because so often you get a meal from a service like that but don’t have the means to recreate it if you so desire. This time I made it with lemon as part of my Italian Dinner and it was the perfect treat with which to end the meal.
5. Crystallized Ginger Scones with Sake Poached Asian Pears (3/21/22) – The fact that I got this recipe right on the first try was amazing. Not that it was technically all that difficult or different from things I had made before, but I had never cooked with sake or Asian pears before and to go head-first into it with a complex flavor combination and not want to change anything in the end was a real win. In short, I felt chef-y.
4. Rye Bourbon Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies (2/12/22) – For the amount of chocolate chip cookie variations I have on this website, I’m amazed that I’ve only recently started dabbling with other flours. The rye flour in these compliments the bourbon and dark chocolate beautifully.
3. Rosemary Watermelon Lemonade (5/27/22) – Sweet glory I plan to make this every summer from now on. It was tart, and sweet, and slightly savory all at the same time – like Kool-Aid but better! You could spike it if you prefer a true adult version but honestly I enjoyed it best as is.
2. Peach Raspberry Mascarpone Tart with Coconut-Pistachio Crust (8/1/22) – There are so many delicious things in this one dessert. From the sweet and salty crust, topped with a sweet and creamy filling, there’s nothing I don’t love about this tart – other than the fact that I don’t have more of it right now.
1. Sheet Pan Italian Sausage with Gnocchi, Peppers, & Onions (2/8/22) – The lone savory recipe on my own list is well deserving of the #1 spot because it immediately became my go-to weeknight meal. Part of the secret if using really good, flavorful pasta sauce, so don’t go skimping on that ingredient.
See the top recipes from other years:
- Best of 2021
- Best of 2020
- Best of 2019
- Best of 2018
- Best of 2017
- Best of 2016
- Best of 2015
- Best of 2014
- Best of 2013
- Best of 2012
- Best of 2011
Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE
