Chocolate, pancakes & cookies – oh my! Here’s the Top Recipes of 2016 on Just So Tasty!

The Sweetest Successes of 2016: Just So Tasty’s Top 10 Reader Favorite Recipes

Can you believe how quickly time flies? It feels like just yesterday we were embarking on new culinary adventures, and now, 2017 is already knocking on our door. As we stand at the threshold of a new year, it’s the perfect moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate the delicious journey we’ve shared throughout 2016 here at Just So Tasty.

For me, 2016 was a year of simple pleasures and significant growth. Beyond perfecting my yoga headstands and attempting to master golf (a true test of patience!), it marked the first full calendar year of Just So Tasty. This blog has truly been a labor of love, a space where I’ve had the immense privilege of connecting with each and every one of you. Your visits, comments, and enthusiasm have fueled every recipe, every photograph, and every word shared. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being an integral part of my kitchen adventures and making this community so incredibly vibrant.

Together, we whipped up countless delightful treats, from comforting classics to exciting new flavors. Looking ahead to 2017, the culinary horizons are expanding even further! Get ready to dive deeper into the wonderful world of baking with:

More Yeast Baking: Exploring fluffy breads, delicate rolls, and irresistible pastries that fill your home with warmth and aroma.
Creative Candy Making: Crafting delectable confections that are perfect for gifting or a sweet personal indulgence, from fudges to caramels.
Mastering Pie Creating: Unlocking the secrets to flaky crusts and luscious fillings for every occasion, ensuring your pies are always picture-perfect.
Decadent Chocolate Tasting: Journeying through the rich and diverse world of chocolate, from bars to baked goods, celebrating its endless versatility.
Even More Easy, One-Bowl Recipes: Because we all love the convenience of minimal cleanup without compromising on flavor – these seem to be everyone’s perennial favorites, making baking accessible and enjoyable for all skill levels!

I’m particularly excited to perfect my pie-making skills and share some truly irresistible sticky buns with you all. But before we leap into the new year, let’s take a moment to savor the past. Without further ado, join me in a delicious look back at the top 10 most popular recipes from 2016 on Just So Tasty – prepare to reminisce, crave, and perhaps even drool over these reader-approved delights!

Just So Tasty’s Top 10 Reader-Favorite Recipes of 2016: A Delicious Countdown

10. Irresistibly Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Starting our countdown with a breakfast champion, these Chocolate Chip Pancakes are the ultimate weekend indulgence and a true comfort food staple. If you, like me, believe that chocolate is a perfectly acceptable first-thing-in-the-morning treat, then these fluffy stacks are undoubtedly for you. The secret to their incredible texture and flavor lies in using buttermilk, which yields an exceptionally tender, moist crumb and a delightful tang. And for the perfect chocolate-to-pancake ratio? Mini chocolate chips are absolutely key, melting into delightful pockets of gooey goodness with every single bite. They’re more than just breakfast; they’re a comforting hug on a plate, guaranteed to make your mornings brighter.

9. Decadent One-Bowl Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread

Speaking of beloved chocolate chips, our ninth most popular recipe takes them to new heights in this incredibly moist and intensely flavorful Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread. This quick bread is a dream come true for busy bakers and anyone who loves minimal cleanup, as it comes together effortlessly in just one bowl! It’s generously packed with rich, creamy peanut butter flavor and studded with an abundance of melty chocolate chips, making it an ideal snack, a delightful breakfast alternative to plain toast, or a comforting treat any time of day. Its super soft texture and robust flavors make it truly irresistible and wonderfully easy to enjoy.

8. Rich Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

For those who adore brownies but crave a slightly different, equally decadent profile, these Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies are an absolute revelation. I first created these around Valentine’s Day, and it was love at first bite! The magic truly happens with the browned butter, which infuses the blondies with an incredible nutty, toasted, caramel-like depth of flavor that is simply unparalleled. Each soft and chewy square is generously studded with huge chunks of dark chocolate that melt into luxurious pockets of gooey perfection. Like many of your favorites, this recipe is a testament to simplicity – requiring just one bowl and no mixer, proving that incredible flavor doesn’t need complicated steps.

7. Classic Old Fashioned Cake Doughnuts

While we’ve explored many delicious baked doughnut recipes on Just So Tasty, these Old Fashioned Cake Doughnuts marked our exciting first foray into the world of deep-fried delights. And oh, what a delicious debut it was, instantly becoming a reader favorite! These aren’t just any doughnuts; they are the kind of classic, tender, and subtly spiced doughnuts that evoke fond memories of childhood bakeries or grandma’s kitchen. The essential ingredients for achieving that perfectly delicious, old-fashioned flavor profile are buttermilk, which ensures an incredibly tender and moist crumb, and a hint of nutmeg, providing that signature warmth and irresistible aroma. Transform your kitchen into the ultimate bakery with these homemade treats.

6. Moist and Fruity Raspberry Coffee Cake

This delightful Raspberry Coffee Cake soared in popularity, especially around Mother’s Day, and it’s easy to see why it captivated so many. It’s a truly magnificent cake that perfectly combines rich, buttery goodness with an incredibly moist and tender texture. Each slice reveals a vibrant layer of fresh, juicy raspberries, adding a beautiful tart contrast to the cake’s inherent sweetness. Crowned with a crunchy, buttery streusel topping and generously drizzled with a smooth vanilla glaze, this coffee cake is nothing short of perfection. Whether served for a special breakfast, a leisurely brunch, or an afternoon pick-me-up, the concept of “cake for breakfast” never sounded so appealing!

5. Festive Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies marked our exciting first venture into the elegant world of red velvet on Just So Tasty, and they were an instant sensation! Their soft, chewy texture, coupled with a delicate hint of cocoa, creates a truly irresistible experience that keeps readers coming back for more. The striking, vibrant red hue makes them visually stunning and perfectly festive, while generous amounts of melty white chocolate chips (or milk/dark, depending on your preference!) add a creamy, sweet contrast and delightful pockets of indulgence. They are perfectly suited for special occasions like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, but honestly, they’re so delicious, you’ll want to make them all year round.

4. Ultimate Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Spice Cookies

When autumn rolls around, there’s nothing quite like the comforting embrace of pumpkin spice, and these Pumpkin Spice Cookies captured the hearts of our readers, solidifying their spot in the top 5 new recipes for the entire year! Imagine your favorite super soft and chewy snickerdoodles, but generously infused with all the glorious warmth and richness of pumpkin and a symphony of autumn spices. Each bite delivers a delightful medley of fall flavors – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves – creating a truly perfect cookie for the season. They are deceptively simple to make yet yield an impressive depth of flavor and an incredibly tender texture, making them a fall baking essential.

3. Classic Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Claiming the prestigious third spot are these absolutely magnificent, ginormous Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. These aren’t just any oatmeal cookies; they are packed with incredible texture and a symphony of flavors that elevate them to truly bakery-style perfection. Made with the richness of brown sugar for deep caramel notes and the hearty chewiness of old-fashioned oats, they offer a comforting depth. While the recipe inherently delivers fantastic texture, the subtle yet crucial addition of cinnamon and vanilla is absolutely key to achieving that ultimate oatmeal cookie domination, elevating them from good to simply unforgettable. They are surprisingly easy to make and guaranteed to become a household favorite.

2. Effortlessly Delicious Blueberry Crumble Bars

This year’s stellar runner-up for the top spot goes to these incredibly easy Blueberry Crumble Bars, first shared last spring. They quickly became a fan favorite, and for excellent reason! Each bar features a perfectly buttery, shortbread-like crust that forms the delicious, sturdy base. This delightful foundation is then topped with a generous layer of sweet, juicy blueberries that burst with fresh, vibrant flavor when baked to perfection. Finally, a delightful crumbly topping crowns the bars, adding a wonderful textural contrast and an extra layer of buttery goodness. The ingenious part? The versatile base recipe cleverly doubles as the crumbly topping, streamlining the process and making these bars an absolute breeze to prepare for any gathering or a simple afternoon treat.

1. The #1 Recipe of 2016: The Best French Toast

And now, for the reigning champion, the most beloved and visited recipe of 2016 on Just So Tasty: The Best French Toast! It’s truly no surprise that this classic comfort food captured so many hearts and palates. What makes it the absolute best and why did it earn the top spot? It’s simple to prepare, it’s soul-satisfying, and it’s 100% undeniably delicious – embodying everything we love about homemade treats. In this highly popular recipe, I shared all my trusted secrets for achieving perfectly fluffy and buttery French toast, boasting beautifully golden edges and just the right hint of warm cinnamon. It’s the kind of breakfast or brunch item that brings pure joy and truly elevates a simple meal into something extraordinary, making it a timeless favorite for any morning.

Your Turn: Share Your Favorites and What’s Next!

As we wrap up this sweet stroll down memory lane, I’d love to hear from you! What were your top recipes of 2016, both from Just So Tasty and beyond? Share your culinary highlights in the comments below – I always love to see what you’ve been enjoying and what made your year extra tasty!

Speaking of favorites, while the reader-chosen top 10 are absolutely fantastic, I also have a few personal indulgences that didn’t quite make the list but remain incredibly close to my heart. These are the recipes I often find myself craving and making again and again:

Dreamy White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis: A truly elegant and sophisticated dessert, this cheesecake is smooth, incredibly creamy, and beautifully complemented by the bright, tangy homemade raspberry coulis. It’s a showstopper!
Irresistible Toffee Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: The magical combination of nutty brown butter and crunchy, buttery toffee bits takes the classic chocolate chip cookie to an entirely new level of decadence and complexity. A must-try for cookie aficionados!
Rich and Swirled Cream Cheese Brownies: These brownies offer the perfect harmony of fudgy, intensely chocolatey brownie and a tangy, luscious cream cheese swirl. The contrast in textures and flavors makes them an absolute masterpiece and a personal favorite for any chocolate craving!

Clearly, my love for chocolate runs deep and wide, influencing many of my personal go-to recipes!

Thank you once again for making 2016 such a memorable and delicious year. Your support means the world to me. I can’t wait to continue our baking journey together in 2017 with even more exciting recipes, helpful tips, and sweet inspiration. Happy baking and here’s to many more tasty adventures ahead!