At the end of every year, I take some time to pull up the numbers and see what the most popular recipes were. It's always a fun, and sometimes surprising, exercise. So, this is a fun post to write!

Among the top 22 recipes of 2022 are many of the things I've baked often this year as well, like.... the classic french Napoleon, the humble olive oil cake that takes it up a notch with a thick layer of mascarpone pastry cream, buttery homemade flour tortillas, the always delicious and decadent New York Cheesecake, and something I have in my freezer at all times - flaky buttermilk biscuits.
And let's not forget the cobblers. All three of the cobbler recipes on this site made the top 22 and that just leaves me feeling pleased as punch because they are among my all-time favorite recipes ever.
All of these recipes have added more delicious enjoyment to my life and I love that they've added some to yours as well. Wishing all of you peace, love, and more time to bake in 2023.
xo
Top 22 Recipes of 2022
Napoleon Dessert | Classic French Pastry
The classic Napoleon Dessert (mille-feuille) includes flaky puff pastry layered with creamy vanilla pastry cream.
It's one of those classic French pastries that exemplifies everything I love about French pastry - It's elegantly simple and deliciously indulgent.
"Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope they like it as much as we do!" - Hema
Soft Homemade Flour Tortillas {All Butter Recipe}
Soft, warm homemade tortillas are one of the best things in the world! This all-butter recipe is so easy, you may never buy tortillas again.
"This recipe is AMAZING!!! I have never commented on recipe blogs before but definitely is one of the best and easiest recipes out there!" - Charlene
Best Pastry Cream
This is my absolute FAVORITE, tried, and true recipe for silky smooth, incredibly rich, and creamy Pastry Cream.
This pastry cream is simple to make, remarkably stable, and comes out perfect every time. It's rich and thick enough to use as a filling for cream pies, layer cakes, and layered pastries like the classic Napoleon dessert.
It's also creamy enough to easily pipe into pastries like eclairs and cream puffs.
Thanks to a bit of gelatin, this pastry cream will hold its own at room temperature for hours without breaking down, can be used inside baked pastries like hand pies, and can even be frozen.
"Thank you for the recipe! OMG so good!" -Stacey
Peach Preserves Recipe {No Pectin}
Making peach preserves (peach jam) is one of the best ways to preserve summer peaches and enjoy the taste of summer fruit all year long.
This simple, old-fashioned recipe includes just 3 ingredients: peaches, sugar, and lemon juice. A nice, slow simmer concentrates the peach flavor and eliminates the need for additional pectin.
The result is peach preserves with the most intense, bright, and fresh flavor.
"This is really amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! This is my new go-to recipe for preserving peaches, well done! Highly recommended!" - Alyssa
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe {No Pectin}
This delicious homemade strawberry rhubarb jam recipe does not include any added pectin but DOES include a couple of secret ingredients that will have everyone thinking you're a jam-making genius.
"This is now my favorite jam recipe-thank you! It's amazing every time!" - Cooking Canadian Mama
Berry Cobbler
This Berry Cobbler takes about 10 minutes to throw together and THIS is your reward: Plump, juicy berries that are just the right amount of sweet, tart, and saucy baked under a buttery, chewy, sugar cookie-like topping.
This cobbler is just as delicious freshly baked, warm, and topped with a scoop of ice cream as it is for breakfast the next day, eaten cold, straight from the pan.
"I made 3 large pans of this for church;) They all turned out great (one was gluten-free). I used frozen blueberries, cherries, and strawberries and served it with whipped cream. I’m already on the lookout for another excuse to make it!! So yummy:) Thanks for the recipe!!" - Brynn
Apple Cobbler
There are many ways to make apple cobbler but this recipe is my all-time favorite.
The recipe includes plenty of saucy cinnamon and clove-spiced apples baked under a chewy cookie topping. The gooey brown sugar topping takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes like a soft, buttery sugar cookie.
"Omgggggggg I have had to make this 6 times since August for various things 😂😂. But mainly because my husband loves it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a light caramel drizzle. It’s so good! Thank you for sharing." - Alicia
French Cruller Doughnut Recipe
French Crullers are one of the easiest kinds of homemade doughnuts you can make! Start to finish, crullers take about an hour and require a small handful of ingredients. They are the kind of thing you can be impulsive about on a Sunday morning, but also decadent and pretty enough for a special occasion brunch.
Also... if you've never had a freshly made homemade cruller, prepare to be shocked by how truly delicious they are.
"I just made these. First time ever doing this kind of dough and they are incredible as heck!" - Kacie
Champagne Cake with Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream
This delicate, moist Champagne Cake is packed with flavor, filled with strawberries, & iced with Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream.
"WOW! It’s not very often that I make a recipe off Pinterest and it’s PERFECT the first time—this one was!! The cake is feather-light with a moist crumb, and the champagne flavor was subtle and added interest to the palate. I am a Swiss meringue buttercream fan, this was my first time doing Italian; instructions were easy to understand and the frosting came out PERFECT! " - Veronica
Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Italian Meringue Buttercream is silky smooth, creamy, & gorgeous. Here's how to make the perfect buttercream for cakes and cupcakes.
"I’m officially IN LOVE. OMG - it’s heavenly and light and so stable and everything that I dreamed it would be and MORE!!!" - Charissa
New York Cheesecake with Classic Shortbread Crust
This is everything you need to know to bake the ultimate rich and creamy New York-style cheesecake. The recipe includes a classic shortbread crust with the option for a graham cracker crust if that's your preference.
"This is hands down the perfect cheesecake. Great texture and flavor, is not overly sweet, and is something I always get requests for. Another winner!" - Judy
Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Mascarpone Pastry Cream
This Olive Oil Cake is exceptionally moist and flavorful, with a sugary crust and deliciously fine-textured crumb that’s not overly sweet.
On its own, it's one of my all-time favorite cakes, but split in half and filled with a thick layer of Lemon Mascarpone Pastry Cream puts it in a new category of YUM.
"The best dessert on the planet!" - The Good Grief Cook
American Buttercream {with Butter and Heavy Cream}
This classic American Buttercream Recipe takes about 10 minutes to make, is silky smooth, incredibly flavorful, and not as sweet as most American-style buttercream recipes.
The recipe includes plenty of butter, vanilla, and a touch of almond extract, It also uses heavy cream instead of milk which keeps it rich and creamy without being too sweet.
"This buttercream frosting was delicious. I followed the directions to the "t" and it turned out great!!" - Jane
Caramel Cake with Salted Caramel Italian Meringue
Rich caramel cake covered in a thick layer of silky smooth, not-too-sweet salted caramel Italian meringue buttercream.
"I felt like a professional baker! The cake was perfect - the best I've ever made or eaten! And the Italian Meringue Buttercream, OMG!" - Carol
Doughnut Recipe | Overnight Homemade Doughnuts
This doughnut recipe can be used to make pretty much any kind of homemade doughnut you can imagine. Chocolate or vanilla glazed? Of course. Cream filled? Absolutely. Doughnut holes? You betcha. Rolled in sugar, frosted or glazed, covered in cereal, sprinkled with bacon, filled with fruit or pastry cream... whatever you can imagine, this is the only doughnut recipe you will ever need.
The dough is super simple, and cut-out doughnuts can rise in the refrigerator overnight so that all you have to do to enjoy homemade doughnuts in the morning is cook them. In your bathrobe, of course.
"Awesome donuts and so easy to make!! Crispy on the outside and pillow-y soft on the inside. Making these didn't require causing a big mess in the kitchen either! Will definitely make again." - Mattie
The Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits {All-Butter Recipe}
If you're craving fluffy, tender buttermilk biscuits with hundreds of flaky, buttery layers, stop right here.
Here's how to make homemade buttermilk biscuits that are soft on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, and rise to impressive heights with layer after delicious layer.
"I made these biscuits for breakfast this morning. They are the best ones I've made! This will now be my go-to recipe. Thank you!" - Carol
Simple Homemade White Bread {made with butter!}
Guess what? You could be eating a thick slice of buttery homemade bread in about 3 hours. Even better, only about 20 minutes of that time is hands-on.
This homemade white bread recipe has been a staple in my house for over 20 years because it's quick, simple, fail-proof, and deliciously satisfying like only homemade bread can be.
"This is the best bread recipe I tried ever and it came out good even the first time. Now everyone in the family wants this not store-bought at all." - Nisha
Peach Cobbler with Chewy Cookie Topping
If I had to choose only one dessert to eat for the rest of my life, it might be this. I’m not even joking here people.
Juicy peaches cooked in brown sugar until they are saucy and bursting with flavor under their buttery, chewy sugar cookie topping. This is, without a doubt, my FAVORITE thing to do with all those gorgeous summer peaches.
Even better, this cobbler is just as delicious made with frozen peaches as it is with fresh peaches which means you can make it all year long. Which I do. Make it once and you will too.
"Such an easy recipe, but packs so much flavor. I’ve made it several times, and just love it so much! Fresh and vibrant peach filling, with that delicious cookie topping." - Elsa
Cherry Almond Rugelach
Tender, flaky cream cheese dough is wrapped around tart cherry jam and roasted almonds for a cookie that's a bit like a delicious two-bite rolled-up tart.
"These are now our family's favorite holiday cookie! So good! - Shannon
Almond Plum Cake
This delicious Almond Plum Cake tastes like a cross between cake and fruit cobbler. Thanks to soft roasted plums, almond paste, and a generous amount of Amaretto liquor, the texture of this cake is so moist it's almost a fruit cobbler.
"Made this as written yesterday. Perfect in every way - raves all around." - Julie
Caramel Rum Sauce
This caramel rum sauce would make shoe leather taste like a gourmet treat. It really is that good.
"Wow-oh-wow! This stuff is GOOD! Others were right in the comments above - patience is key. Having never made caramel sauce before, I found this recipe easy to follow and crazy delicious. I almost prefer it without the rum, but the rum certainly adds a little somethin'-somethin'! Thanks for the recipe!" - Amy
Best Vanilla Cake Recipe {Soft and Flavorful}
If I had to use only one word to describe this vanilla cake it would be flavorful. It's also moist and rich, with a tender, fluffy crumb that's somewhere between a chiffon and butter cake. But, what really sets this cake apart is its flavor.
If you're looking for a go-to vanilla cake recipe for wedding cakes, birthday cakes, shower cakes, anniversary cakes, or just because cakes, that will have everyone who tastes it coming back for more, this is it.
"Wow! This is the best vanilla cake I have ever had. The first time I made it, I didn’t have nutmeg or lemon extract so I left those out — big mistake. My second attempt, I included the lemon extract and nutmeg and the flavor was just incredible. Thank you for the recipe!" - Raquel
Donna says
Happy New Year! Hope you are somewhere fun tonight! I’m surprised your ooey gooey pecan chocolate chip cookies are not on here. I always get raves whenever I make them. Soooooo good!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I know! They are in the top 40... but didn't quite make it to the to 22. We'll see if they make the cut next year! I'm so glad to know that you like the recipe! I pretty much always have a few chocolate chip pecan cookie balls in my freezer so I can bake up a few when the craving strikes or when we have unexpected guests. They are one of our favorites as well! Happy new year! xo
pat lily gar says
Happy Holidays! These are the best recipes, thank you! You're a great chef, everything here is so good!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Happy holidays to you! xo